During the spring equinox, yin and yang are divided in half, and the key point of health preservation is to "reconcile yin and yang".
In terms of living, you should go to bed late and get up early, walking slowly; Comb your hair more often to unblock meridian qi and blood, nourish and strengthen your hair; wearing sachets or smoking snuff to combat spring epidemics; Spring blossoms at the spring equinox, you should go out to the garden to enjoy the flowers to make you feel happy; Temper sexual affairs to meet the needs of equinox health.
1. Characteristics of solar terms
The spring equinox, also known in ancient times as "mid-day", "day-night equinox", and "mid-spring moon", falls on March 20 or 21 of the Gregorian calendar every year, when the sun reaches 0 degrees of ecliptic longitude (equinox). Because the length of day and night is average, just half of the ninety days in spring, it is called the "spring equinox". In ancient China, the spring equinox was divided into three periods: "One waiting for the Yuan Bird Solstice; Erhou Renai spoke; Three waiting for the first call. This means that after the equinox, swallows fly from the south, and when it rains, the sky thunders and emits lightning. On the day of the spring equinox, the sun shines directly on the equator, and the days and nights are almost equal, and then the direct sunlight gradually moves north, and the days begin to be long and the nights are short. As soon as the spring equinox arrives, the rain increases significantly, and the average ground temperature on the mainland has reached more than 10 °C, showing a scene of grass and warblers flying.
Chinese painter Zhao Yebai
2 Health care points for the elderly
2.1 Living and wellness
2.1.1 Clothing should be thick and thin: The spring equinox belongs to the middle of spring, and the living aspect should still observe "spring and March, which is called ageing." Heaven and earth are born, and all things are proud. Lie down at night and get up early, walk widely in the court, and walk slowly to make Zhisheng's "health principle, it is advisable to go to bed late and get up early, and walk slowly. Although the sun hits the equator directly during the spring equinox, the sunshine in the northern hemisphere gradually increases, and the weather becomes warmer day by day, but the temperature difference between day and night is large, and there will be cold snaps from time to time. At this time, health care should pay attention to the timely increase or decrease of clothing, especially should pay attention to the warmth of the lower limbs and feet, and it is advisable to wear thick and thin, "do not be extremely cold, not too hot". Especially the elderly and children with poor resistance should pay more attention to adding or removing clothing in a timely manner to avoid colds caused by improper wearing and taking off.
2.1.2 Comb your hair more to clear the bloodline: Ji Kang's "Theory of Health Maintenance" states: "In spring and March, comb your hair one or two hundred times every dynasty. Chao Yuanfang, a famous doctor of the Sui Dynasty, also believes that combing hair has the effect of smoothing blood veins, dispelling wind and dampness, and making hair not white. After the equinox, it is especially suitable for combing your hair. This is because the spring equinox is when nature's yang qi germinates and rises. The yang energy of the human body also conforms to nature, and has the characteristics of rising upward and outward, which is manifested by the gradual relaxation of pores, the strengthening of circulatory system function, vigorous metabolism and rapid growth. Taking advantage of the natural yang qi and the yang qi in the body to begin to rise, comb more hair to stimulate many meridian points in the head, which can make the yang qi in the body rise and relax, unblock the meridian qi and blood, nourish and strengthen the hair, strengthen the brain and ears, disperse wind and eyes, and prevent and treat headaches.
2.1.3 Snuff smoking to prevent disease: Beijing's air quality in March was relatively poor, due to the rapid temperature recovery, less precipitation, dry air, coupled with strong wind in spring, so there were many sand and dust weather, resulting in poor air quality.
Therefore, referring to the writings left by the ancient Ge Hong and other medical scholars, there are records of wearing lavender sachets and smoking "snus". The so-called "snus" can actually be used as nasal inhalation therapy, which is the method of "internal disease and external treatment" in traditional Chinese medicine, an ancient route of administration. It is mostly used to treat respiratory infections, vascular nerve headache and a variety of body pains. The traditional nasal administration method mostly uses snuff inhalation, atomized inhalation, liquid nasal drops, powder plugged in the nasal vestibule or made into nasal suction capsules, nasal congestion inhalation and other methods. Modern sniffing agent has become a simple, convenient, practical and effective new dosage form. Smoking snus can effectively prevent and treat spring epidemics. This is because the aromatic drugs in snus "penetrate" into the human body through the skin, mucous membranes, acupuncture points, meridians and other ways, which can play a role in promoting lung qi, clearing the nose, or activating blood circulation and removing stasis and balancing yin and yang.
From the point of view of "evil enters from the mouth and nose", it is actually a major innovation of Ming and Qing dynasty doctors. Because evil enters from the mouth and nose of Yangming, the cure also controls or drives away evil from the mouth and nose------ or can "plug the nose" to prevent the way of disease and evil from invading the human body, or it can "sneeze" to expel evil from the body. Pay attention to taking care of healthy qi and improving human resistance when not sick; If you are sick, you must drive away evil spirits. Since ancient times, the mainland people have had the custom and habit of smoking snus.
Snus is suitable for all kinds of people and can prevent influenza sickness; For the elderly to smoke Chinese medicine snus, it can play a role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases; Smoking Chinese medicine snus in the general population can regulate qi machines, unblock meridians, make qi and blood flow, and keep internal organs safe, which can enhance the body's immunity and play a role in disease prevention and health care1.
2.2 Diet for the elderly
2.2.1 Diet should be balanced between cold and heat: During the spring equinox, nature accounts for half of the yin and yang, and the diet should also be "flat" to maintain a balance of cold and heat. Diet can be matched according to personal physical conditions, such as duck meat, rabbit meat, river crab and other cold foods, should be accompanied by warm green onions, ginger, wine, etc.; When eating leeks, garlic and other yang-boosting foods, or with eggs that nourish yin. In addition, the strong liver qi in spring can hurt the spleen, so you should eat more sweet foods, such as dates, yams, spinach, camelin, chicken, chicken liver, etc., and eat less sour and astringent foods, such as tomatoes, lemons, oranges, etc.
2.2.2 Don't forget to strengthen the spleen and remove dampness: the liver qi is strong at the spring equinox, easy to take advantage of the spleen soil, coupled with the gradual rainfall at this time, the air humidity is relatively large, easy to cause spleen and stomach damage, resulting in indigestion, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms, so the diet should pay attention to strengthening the spleen and removing dampness, you can eat more coix kernels, yam, crucian carp, red beans and other foods.
2.3 Sports and health: "Suwen Zhizhen Dao" said: "Observe the location of Yangyang and adjust it, so as to level the period." This means that the human body should make the internal organ movement consistent with the external limb movement according to the yin and yang conditions of different periods, even if the physiological movement of the internal organs, qi and blood, and essence is balanced with the "supply and marketing" relationship between brain, physical strength and sports. At the spring equinox, people should go to parks, suburbs and other places to play, while exercising, but also make the mood happy, can be described as killing two birds with one stone.
2.4 Sexual health: During the spring equinox, everything is revived and vibrant, and people's sex becomes active, and there are significantly more intercourse at this time than in winter. However, excessive intercourse is harmful to health, and intercourse should be controlled during the spring equinox. In general, healthy young couples can have sex once a week, middle-aged couples can have sex once every 2 weeks, and older couples can have sex once every 3 weeks. However, the specific situation also depends on your physical condition and living habits. In addition, spring is the main qi of the liver meridian, the liver qi is smooth, sex can be harmonious, and the body can be healthy. Therefore, intercourse should be in a peaceful and pleasant mood, and should not be irritable or too depressed at this time. Only scientific and reasonable arrangements for sexual life can meet the needs of health preservation.
3. Common sense of mental health of the elderly
guqin music therapy during the spring equinox; I solemnly recommend to you the piano song----- the ancient piano song "Thousands of Waters, Thousands of Mountains Always Love" transplanted by the author. Self-transplant "Thousands of Waters, Thousands of Mountains Always Love"
Accompanied by a pleasant melody, accompanied by poetic lyrics: "Mo said that the green mountains have many obstacles... White clouds crossing the mountain can also convey love; Mo said that the water is changeable... Tenderness is like water, love is eternal. Not afraid that the wind will blow away love, thousands of rivers and mountains are always love! Gathering and dispersing is also destined, do not complain about the sky and do not complain about fate, but ask for mountains and rivers to testify..." The lyrics express that as long as the two love each other, no matter how far away they are, they can feel each other's love. So don't say that distance is an obstacle, no matter how high the mountain is, white clouds can also convey affection to it; No matter how changeable the water is, there are times of tenderness; No matter how fast the wind is, it can't break up the two people who love each other. Thousands of rivers and mountains are the testimony of love!
This well-known Cantonese song in the 70s carries the memory of a generation of Hong Kong people, the so-called "fate is destined", as far back as ancient times, it has been thousands of miles away and can be "connected by thousands of miles of marriage", not to mention today's water, land and air. Therefore, in today's society, love and marriage abound, as long as the person who misses in the heart is safe and happy, even if it is separated by thousands of rivers and mountains, you can bathe in love under the same sky, which is the same as when lovers get together.
The poetry of "thousands of rivers and thousands of mountains are always love" comes from the ancient poem "Send Weiyang to the Old People" by the Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Qiao: "Parting from the willow by the river, thousands of mountains and rivers are far away." Yueming remembers to find the place, the city lock Dongfeng Fifteen Bridge. It means that even if you are far away from thousands of rivers and mountains, it is difficult to give up your concern for that feeling.
Whenever we sing or play this song, it is conducive to promoting people's happy mood of watching flowers bloom during the spring equinox, welcoming the good mood of spring, reassuring the head of good things, and smoothing the flow of troubles. Smile indifferently and say goodbye to yesterday, stay in a good mood today, welcome tomorrow with a healthy body, treat yourself and others with true affection, and laugh at every day of life! [smile]
Acknowledgements: Feng Meiyin, President of the International Guqin Health Society (guqin performance and copywriting) and calligrapher Zhao Yebai (illustration)
References:[1] Sun Lingzhi. Research on the history of Ming and Qing incense medicine[D].China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences,2015.
Chinese painter Zhao Yebai