In order to promote the transformation of health care from "disease-centered" to "people's health-centered", Huangpu District has strengthened the construction of a district-level health science popularization expert database and established a strong science popularization team composed of experts from 29 disciplines. Sponsored by the Huangpu District Health Commission and the Office of the Huangpu District Health Promotion Committee, undertaken by the Huangpu District Health Promotion Center, and co-organized by the Huangpu District Financial Media Center, the series of popular science columns "Science Leading, Medical Road Forward" transforms professional medical knowledge into easy-to-understand popular science content, so that people can understand, learn and remember. The guest of this issue is Zhang Fan, attending physician of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Yuyuan Street Community Health Service Center, Huangpu District, Shanghai, who will talk to you about Gu Yu, the last solar term of spring, and how to immerse yourself in the "20 minutes in the park" TCM health preservation.
As the last solar term of spring, Guyu is the season when everything in nature recovers and is full of vitality, and it is also a good time to recuperate the body and mind. Next, follow me for an immersive "20-minute park" TCM health experience.
Lush with greenery, blooming flowers and birds, you stroll along the park's tree-lined paths, where the fountains dance with crystal water droplets, revealing a splash of colour in the sunlight. The breeze blows on your cheeks, and the process of exchanging and flowing yin and yang qi is called wind, and the spring wind is gentle and comfortable.
You place your hands around your navel, close your mouth tightly, take a deep breath through your nose, and feel the sensation of your belly slowly bulging forward as you inhale, and your belly is blown up like a balloon, the more it bulges, the better. Hold your breath for three seconds, then slowly exhale through your mouth.
As you continue to walk along the park's trails, tulips swaying from side to side in the spring breeze as if beating to the song of the birds. You enjoy the beautiful scenery like an oil painting in front of you, continue to carry out the same abdominal breathing exercises as before, feel the spring breeze in the breathing again and again, and you can also achieve the effect of strengthening the lungs, moisturizing the skin, massaging the internal organs, refluxing qi and blood, and raising and reducing turbidity through such breathing training.
Walking and walking, you come to the small lake. The surface of the lake is calm as a mirror, and the occasional sparkling wave with the spring breeze makes you feel the beauty of tranquility in front of you. There were three or two figures around playing Tai Chi and Baduan Jin. These two traditional Chinese health exercises not only exercise the body, but also regulate the mood and relieve anxiety and stress. You are captivated by their every movement and follow one of them to do tai chi. With each movement you make slowly and gently, and you coordinate your breathing with your movements, you feel empowered both physically and mentally.
After doing this exercise, you notice a lazy cat lying on the bench next to you, you say hello to it and sit down next to it. The sun shines on your back and neck, and you pat the highest point on the top of your head, which is the location of the Baihui acupoint, and tell the cats around you, "Pat two or three hundred Baihui acupoints every day, and then pinch the Fengchi acupoint to relieve fatigue and refresh your mind." The cat stretched and let out a gentle "meow", as if to answer you, "I learned it".
You get up and walk to the path on the left, only to be startled by the butterflies that have stopped on the moon season to take a nap, fluttering their wings and flying along the path, like two elves eager to show you the way. As you move forward, you tap the bile meridian acupuncture points on the outside of your thighs and the pericardial meridian on the palmar side of your arm, so that you can achieve the effect of relaxing meridian activation, regulating qi and blood, and invigorating yang qi.
The butterfly that guides you leads you to a large lawn where there are many people setting up tents for picnics, and you suddenly remember that the meal you have prepared is still in your bag, and you take out the vegetables and fruits one by one and enjoy them. In spring, you will always eat more green fruits and vegetables to help the liver qi grow and clear the void fire. I also like sweet foods like millet, bean sprouts, spinach, glutinous rice, jujubes, carrots, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, and cabbage, which can nourish the body's spleen and stomach.
Enjoy the perfect meal, you slowly pace out of the park with a relaxed and happy mood, with the vitality and enthusiasm of the city in front of you and the tranquility and beauty of nature behind you.
In this good season when the earth is rejuvenated and everything grows, you can spend 20 minutes in the park every day. While enjoying the beautiful scenery, you can get happiness and relaxation, and you can also better welcome a healthy and energetic summer through traditional Chinese medicine.