Other precautions
Some other precautions we need to take during the beginning of winter season.
Soak feet in hot water
The first one is to soak your feet in hot water before going to bed, because the Yongquan acupoint in the foot heart is the main acupoint of the kidney meridian. At the beginning of winter, soak your feet in warm water before going to bed, and then rub the Yongquan acupoint in the foot heart with your hands. This can keep you warm, strengthen your body, eliminate fatigue, promote sleep, delay aging, and effectively prevent the occurrence of various diseases such as colds, coronary heart disease, and hypertension.
We all know that our feet are the second heart of our body, so in order to have a good heart, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, we need to take good care of our feet, keep them warm, and not let them become cold. Some people say it's okay to put some Chinese herbs in the foot bath. I recommend putting mugwort because firstly, mugwort can kill viruses and bacteria, and secondly, it can warm and invigorate yang qi, nourish vitality, and activate meridians and collaterals. It has many effects and also has a good nourishing effect on the vitality of the five organs. So when starting winter, soak your feet in warm water, that's the first point.
Increase indoor humidity
The second thing to note is that we need to increase the indoor humidity. Scientific research has shown that living in an environment with a relative humidity of 40% to 60% is the most comfortable and beneficial for the body. Winter arrives, and the climate is already very dry, especially in the north. Heating in the north greatly reduces the humidity in the room, making the air drier and causing dehydration and reduced elasticity of the mucous membranes in our nasal, throat, trachea, and bronchi. Elasticity decreases, and after dehydration, the secretion of mucus in the entire respiratory tract decreases. After the secretion of mucus decreases, the movement of cilia in the respiratory membrane weakens. When inhaling dust or bacteria from the air, they cannot be cleared out at a normal speed, which can easily trigger and worsen respiratory diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a certain humidity in the air at this time to avoid a decrease in respiratory clearance speed.
Because the winter weather is very cold, people wear very thick clothes and have less activity. At this time, they may eat more spicy and warm foods, which makes it easy to get overheated. In addition, using heating and dry weather can also cause our skin to dehydrate, reduce sebaceous gland secretion, and lead to rough or cracked skin. Therefore, I particularly recommend that households in the north, especially after heating, pay attention to the humidity in the room, buy a hygrometer, and adjust the relative humidity well.
How to adjust? You can sprinkle some water on the ground, use a mop to mop the floor, or buy an air humidifier, or put some water around the heater, or use humidification equipment. Maintaining the humidity in the room at around 50% is very beneficial for our health. At the same time, windows should be opened for ventilation to allow fresh outdoor air to replace polluted indoor air, promote air convection, and reduce the growth of bacteria.
Open the window for ventilation, pay attention to adding clothes
When opening windows for ventilation, be sure to wear an extra piece of clothing and avoid getting cold, especially for middle-aged and elderly people. In winter, especially in terms of cold and frost resistance, it is important to keep warm. Many people do not pay attention to this, especially elderly people, as it can easily lead to various diseases. Once we catch a cold, we all know that there is a saying that goes, 'Fear typhoid fever more than tuberculosis, and typhoid fever only kills those who are weak.'. Once elderly people suffer from typhoid fever and go to the hospital for treatment, it may be very difficult to cure, and upper respiratory tract infections may trigger pneumonia, etc. So at this time, we must keep warm, wear a mask when going out, adjust the temperature when returning home, and adjust our clothes properly. This can avoid many unnecessary injuries, colds, inflammation, and upper respiratory tract infections. Therefore, at this time, we need to remind everyone that the first is to maintain good indoor humidity, and the second is to keep warm and add good clothes. These are the health precautions for the beginning of winter.
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.