During the Chinese New Year, many people often eat fried food, and many people have symptoms such as sore throat, dry mouth, and bitter mouth, which is generally considered to be on fire.
Shanghuo is a well-known concept in traditional Chinese medicine, which is called "hot qi" in Guangdong. The theory of traditional Chinese medicine believes that the human body should maintain the balance of yin and yang, when the yin and yang are unbalanced, the yang energy is too strong, it will be on fire, also known as the internal fire is too prosperous, the main symptoms are red and swollen eyes, ulcers at the corners of the mouth and lips, yellow urine, swollen and sore gums, sore throat, etc.
In the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the fire is divided into real fire and virtual fire, and clinically, according to the five internal organs, it can also be divided into heart fire, liver fire, stomach fire, lung fire and kidney fire. Because the "fire" is different, the corresponding prescription is also different.
Why does it get hot when it's cold?
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the fire belongs to the category of heat syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine, and there are real fire and virtual fire. Actual fire is common in people with damp and hot constitution, usually manifested as dry mouth, bitter mouth, erosion of mouth and tongue, sore throat, body heat irritability, lack of urine, constipation and other symptoms; According to the different parts of the fire, it can also be subdivided into heart fire, liver fire, etc. One reason for getting hot on cold weather is poor diet.
In winter, the weather is very cold, people like to eat some warm foods, such as mutton, beef, longan meat, etc. to resist the cold, if you eat too much of these warm foods, it is very easy to cause fire.
Another reason could be the dry environment. The northern region has less precipitation in winter, the climate is colder and drier, and the indoor air conditioning and heating are generally used, which makes the indoor environment drier, dry and fire, and there will also be fire.
Explain the fire from the perspective of Western medicine
From the point of view of symptoms, how can the fire correspond to modern medicine? Can different symptoms of fire be treated by drinking "herbal tea"?
Red and swollen eyes. From the perspective of modern medicine, there are two kinds of eye redness: one is seasonal allergies, which are itchy and red eyes caused by external allergens. This kind of allergic redness and swelling needs to be relieved with anti-allergy drugs, that is, antihistamines, not "fire-lowering" herbal tea. The second is inflammation, in addition to infection, there are some foods that are also more prone to inflammatory reactions, such as red meat, processed meat, baked foods, including bread, fried foods, high-sugar foods, sugary beverages, and trans fats. Eating too much of these things may cause symptoms of redness, swelling or irritation. For this condition, drinking herbal tea, such as chrysanthemum tea, may be somewhat helpful as it contains some natural anti-inflammatory ingredients.
Yellow urine, which means that the urine is more yellow than usual. From the perspective of modern medicine, there are two possibilities, one may be a lack of water, the so-called hot food in Chinese medicine is basically high in salt, high sugar, high protein, and even barbecue food, and this kind of food contains high sodium salt, in order to maintain electrolyte balance, the body will lead to blood concentration, and the color is more yellow when urinating. At this time, drinking herbal tea can reduce the color of urine by replenishing water and diluting the sodium concentration in the blood, so as to achieve the effect of reducing fire. On the other hand, many people with yellow urine are because they have eaten too much vitamin C or vitamin A, and drinking herbal tea in this case has no effect.
Sore gums and sore throat. There are many reasons for this symptom, one is physical injury, which is common after eating fried and barbecue food, many people like to eat this kind of food while it is hot, and because of fried barbecue, the surface is relatively hot and hard, easy to slightly scratch the mucous membrane and soft tissues, and after waking up the next day, you will feel a dry and sore throat. The second is the stimulation of compounds, when eating barbecue, many people like to eat spicy, or put a variety of heavy flavors, these compounds have a certain irritation and damage to the oral mucosa. When we eat a lot of barbecue fried food, it will cause changes in the pH of the mouth, and then cause microbial imbalance, and some bacteria will overmultiply, which will cause gums and throat pain. Compared with drinking herbal tea, the simpler and more effective treatment method is to rinse the mouth with saline, and rinse the mouth with normal saline, so that the pH in the mouth can be restored to balance, and the damage in the mouth can be repaired in time, and it can heal itself in about two days.
Nosebleeds. Some foods have anticoagulant effect in daily life, which will reduce the body's blood clotting function. Such foods include salicylates, curcumin, cocoa, polyunsaturated fatty acids, etc. But it doesn't mean that if you eat these things, you will definitely bleed, but the capillaries in the human nasal cavity are relatively dense and shallow, and the surface layer is also relatively easy to rupture. In this case, drinking herbal tea will have some effect, as it can dilute the concentration of anticoagulant substances in the blood. You can also use saline drops on the nose to keep the nasal cavity moist, or apply petroleum jelly to the surface of the nasal cavity, which has the effect of preventing nosebleeds.
Blisters on the lips. Modern medicine mostly believes that the blistering of the lips and corners of the mouth is caused by herpes simplex virus infection. About 67% of the world's people are infected with the herpes virus, and once infected by this virus, it will remain in the human body forever and cannot be eliminated. However, the symptoms are also self-limited, that is, after the appearance of blisters on the lips, as long as you rest well and your immunity is restored, you can suppress the virus again, and the symptoms will slowly disappear, and the blistered area will scab over within two weeks. After drinking herbal tea for a few days, it seems that the symptoms go down, but in fact, it is not the effect of herbal tea, but a role of the body's immune system.
Pay attention to myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction
For patients with underlying cardiovascular diseases, when symptoms such as "burning sensation in the throat" or toothache occur, many will think that it is caused by fire, and often do not pay attention to it, and even take oral anti-gunpowder or anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain. When medication does not alleviate the situation, but worsens, it is necessary to be alert to the possibility of myocardial infarction. This is because the throat and heart nerves are controlled by the spinal nerves of the same segment, and once the heart is damaged, the body secretes a lot of polypeptides and acids, which can cause pain.
Therefore, if there is persistent sore throat or toothache that cannot be relieved, it is necessary to go to the hospital for relevant examinations as soon as possible and in time.
In addition, when the weather is hot, people are often prone to feel irritable and emotionally unstable, which can easily cause sympathetic nerve excitement and increase cardiac oxygen consumption. At the same time, if the temperature of the air conditioner is low, the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor is too large, or the consumption of cold drinks, it is easy to cause the blood vessels to constrict or dilate sharply, and even induce coronary spasm.
If there is a person with underlying cardiovascular disease, it may cause plaque to rupture and fall off, form blood clots, block blood vessels, and induce acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, the hottest season of the year is a small peak in the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
How to prevent fire in life
1. Patients who are on fire should regulate their emotions, be calm in case of trouble, maintain psychological stability, and release the pressure of work and life.
2. Perform aerobic exercise at least 1~2 times a week to achieve slight sweating to eliminate toxins from the viscera.
3. Create a comfortable, quiet and relaxed living environment, open windows regularly for ventilation, and keep the indoor temperature and humidity appropriate.
4. Eat a reasonable diet, eat more light and nutritious food, and eat less spicy fried food. Drink more water and less beverages. Eat more pears, tofu, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, jelly, green radish, bean sprouts, cucumbers, potatoes, spinach, bamboo shoots, cabbage, cabbage, cabbage, beans, kelp, bitter herbs, bitter gourd, etc.
Drinking lotus seed heart soup can remove heart fire, fresh lotus root juice and pear juice can remove lung fire, mung bean porridge can remove stomach fire, chrysanthemum wolfberry tea and prunella tea can remove liver fire, sesame walnut porridge can remove kidney fire.
5. Add clothes according to the cold and warm weather to prevent colds.
6. Pay attention to personal hygiene and avoid infectious diseases.
7. Live a regular life and change bad habits such as staying up late, smoking, and drinking.