The big chill

 

 

The big chill——中国日报周末版健康访谈

The big chill
By Ye Jun (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-10-26 08:34

Chilly winds and golden leaves indicate the arrival of another cold season. True to the fantastic pace of change of seasons in Beijing, it is late Autumn already. November 8 is lidong, a Chinese word referring to the solar term for the start of winter.

As weather changes and temperature drops, many people catch cold. It is a time when respiratory problems, cold, cough, and asthma, are likely to occur, according to Xu Wenbing, doctor of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) based in Beijing.

 

"Just like birds grow feathers in autumn, people grow subcutaneous fat as an instinctive reaction to protect their bodies from a colder environment," said the doctor. "People fall ill in the season because their bodies have not properly reacted."

The doctor said that the inner organ that corresponds to the skin and subcutaneous fat is the lungs. He said measures should be taken to strengthen the function of the lungs and protect yourself against the sudden change in weather.

"People consume a lot of energy in the seasons of spring and summer, so in autumn they should start to collect and restore some qi," he said. "At the same time, people have better appetites in autumn, it is a good chance to eat some nutritious foods."

That would mean people can eat more meat, or other foods rich in protein, such as crabs. Pears are a good source to quench the thirst and fortify the lungs in early autumn. Xu suggests people eat steamed pears if they find fresh ones too cold. Or one can make pear and white fungus soup, a popular Chinese dessert, as a dose to enhance the function of the lungs.

Eating seasonal fruit also helps. The doctor recommends some foods with a sour nature, which helps the body to convert energy and deal with dropping temperature. Such typical Chinese foods include lotus seeds, gingko seeds, Chinese yam, seed of Job's tears, glutinous rice, and hawthorn fruit.

It is best if people can add clothes gradually, so that the body can feel the cold and react to it. The idea of keeping fit in TCM, according to Xu, is to follow the rhythm of nature. Because the sun falls earlier and rises late, people should sleep earlier and get up later in the season. Do not overexert yourself, avoid becoming overtired, or sweating a great deal while working out.

Many people are dismayed at the sight of falling leaves and chilling weather. It is not a problem if it only gives you poetic inspiration. But if it causes depression, there could be physical causes behind the bad mood: cold yin factors in your body. Xu, an expert in treating depression, believes those people can see a TCM doctor to adjust their moods.

One self-adjusting method, as he pointed out, is to eat spicy, chilly, salty and warming foods, while avoiding bitter and cold foods. Foods cold in nature include pears, ice cream, coca cola, green tea, and watermelon, according to the doctor. He also suggested people with depression eat more wheat than rice, more chicken and poultry than river fish, more mutton than crabs.

Luckily, while weather changes in autumn and early winter are likely to trigger lung problems, it is also a good opportunity to fix them. Xu also said the season is a good chance to nurture the hair, and maintain the skin. So with the hazard it brings, autumn is not a bad season, because it opens a scope for better health.

Hope Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Suite 105, 1/F, north building, Long tou apartment. 8 Nanxinyuanxilu, Chaoyang District. 8732-5717. 朝阳区南新园西路八号，龙头公寓北楼一层105，御源堂中医诊所旁边.厚朴中医研究所

(China Daily 10/24/2007 page14