Article excerpt: "Traditional Chinese Medicine Ancient Methods for Infant and Child Health Preservation"
In traditional Chinese medicine, the growth and development of children is a synchronous growth of form and spirit. How can this be understood?
The so-called form refers to the external appearance, which is the body, and the so-called god refers to the spirit. The concept of traditional Chinese culture has always been to combine form, body, and spirit. In the West, there are two words: body is called body, and spirit is called mind. Only when these two cooperate can life be achieved. Therefore, it means that form and spirit should be integrated in order to maintain good health. But there are certain rules to be found in the development of this form and spirit.
Growth and development are different. Growth represents the development process of a physical form, which includes changes in form, that is, changes in quantity. Development represents functional changes, such as organ and immune system changes, which are called development. Together, they are called growth and development. According to general rules, the younger a child is, the faster their growth and development will be. During the growth and development period, children can generally be divided into the following stages:
Fetal period: the period from pregnancy to growth.
Generally speaking, this time is 280 days, which is 40 weeks. In ancient times, it was called October pregnancy. The ancient method of calculating months was the lunar calendar, which used the lunar calendar to calculate the expected delivery date. According to current algorithms, 10 months could be 9 months and 10 days.
Baby period: From 28 days after birth to 1 year old is the baby period.
During infancy, infants have initially adapted to the external environment, showing vigorous vitality and particularly rapid growth and development. Compared to birth, at the age of one, a child's weight increases by three times, height increases by 1.5 times, head circumference increases by about one-third, and organ function continues to develop and improve.
During this period, the body was fed dairy products and gradually supplemented with complementary foods, resulting in rapid development and high nutritional requirements. However, infants have weak spleen and stomach motility, weak lung health, and gradually lose their immune ability due to the mother's immune system. Their own immune system is not yet fully developed, and they are prone to pulmonary and splenic diseases, as well as various infectious diseases.
The key to the health preservation of infants and young children lies in their diet and sleep, mainly in these two aspects. Children usually have an automatic sleep pattern within one year old, as long as they conform to this sleep pattern. Diet is based on the principle of adding complementary foods, and it will be better when combined with breast milk.
When children start to add complementary foods, they should be easy to digest cereals, Congee, egg yolks, vegetable puree, etc., and then slowly turn complementary foods into the main diet to replace breast milk.
Preschool period: From 1 year old to 3 years old is the preschool period.
During this period, children's physical growth slows down compared to infancy, but they learn to walk, have more opportunities to interact with their surroundings, develop rapidly in intelligence, and enhance their abilities in language, thinking, perception, and movement. Although the baby teeth gradually come out, children with weak spleen and stomach function due to food variety changes after weaning are prone to spleen related diseases such as vomiting, diarrhea, and malnutrition.
With the increase of children's age, outdoor activities are gradually increasing, and the contact area is expanding, so the incidence rate of a variety of children's infectious diseases, such as chicken pox, mumps, scarlatina, is increasing. Young children have poor ability to recognize danger and self-protection, which makes them prone to accidents such as poisoning and burns. Therefore, targeted early childhood healthcare work should be carried out during this stage.
Pre school age: From the age of 3 to 7, it is called pre school age, also known as early childhood.
The physical development of preschool children steadily increases, and their intellectual development gradually improves. During this period, many abstract concepts such as numbers and time have been established, and children are able to jump, climb stairs, sing, draw, and begin to recognize characters and express their thoughts and emotions in complex language. The key period for the formation of children's personality traits is high imitation interest and strong curiosity. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen ideological and moral education, cultivate good hygiene habits, and ensure the physical and mental health of children.
Carry out early education based on the intellectual development characteristics of children in this age group. Preschool children are prone to dangerous situations such as drowning, burns, falling off the bed, and taking medication incorrectly leading to poisoning, and should pay attention to protection. (Please follow WeChat: pengxinboshi) Due to the enhanced ability to resist diseases in the early years of school, the incidence of diseases is relatively reduced. However, it is also important to strengthen the prevention and treatment of common diseases in this age group.
School age period: From the age of 7 to the onset of puberty (usually 12 years for girls and 13 years for boys), it is called the school age period.
The physical development of school-age children continues to steadily increase, with deciduous teeth falling out and permanent teeth replaced. The morphology and development of the brain are basically the same as adults, and their intelligence is more mature. Their abilities such as self-control, understanding, analysis, and synthesis are further enhanced, and they are able to adapt to the school and social environment. The ability to resist various epidemic diseases has been enhanced, and the types and manifestations of diseases are basically similar to those of adults.
During this period, it is important to maintain a proper sitting, standing, and walking posture and take care to protect your eyesight. We should arrange our daily life, ensure adequate nutrition and rest, pay attention to emotional and behavioral changes, and reduce the incidence rate of mental and behavioral disorders. School age is an important period for receiving education and increasing knowledge. Parents should cooperate with the school, guide them according to the situation, and enable their children to achieve comprehensive development.

Disclaimer: This article is a sharing of health knowledge. The drugs, prescriptions, acupuncture and moxibustion and other treatment and health preserving methods mentioned in this article should be applied under the guidance of professional doctors, and should not be applied by yourself. We are not responsible for any issues arising from improper use.