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Report on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Free Clinic Event
2019-01-10
To promote traditional Chinese medicine–based health and wellness knowledge and raise employees’ awareness of health, our company invited Gushengtang of Suzhou to host a free TCM consultation today. At the event, TCM experts conducted pulse diagnoses and consultations for colleagues from various departments, followed by an informative health‑education lecture. The experts shared practical advice on preventing common winter ailments and offered simple tips for winter health maintenance, which were warmly received by all attendees.
The key to winter health preservation lies in nurturing the qi of storage.
I. Align Your Daily Routine with the Seasons
1. Go to bed early and rise late. According to the “Great Treatise on the Regulation of the Spirit in the Four Seasons” from the Inner Canon, “During the three months of winter, this is called ‘closing and storing; water freezes, and the earth cracks.” The winter months refer to the periods from the Beginning of Winter through Minor Snow, Major Snow, the Winter Solstice, Minor Cold, and Major Cold. During these three winter months, one should go to bed early and rise late, waiting until the sun’s light appears. Generally speaking, it is advisable not to stay up past 11 p.m., and to be asleep before the Zi hour (11 p.m.–1 a.m.). In winter, it is best to aim for bedtime around 10 p.m. As for waking up, do so after sunrise—after seven o’clock. At that time, avoid immediately going out to exercise; it is preferable to engage in physical activity between nine or ten in the morning, or two or three in the afternoon, when sunlight is abundant and harmful gases are at their lowest.
2. During exercise, pay attention to sweating lightly; avoid excessive perspiration.
3. In terms of emotional and mental well-being, health preservation entails “keeping one’s aspirations calm and concealed, as if harboring private intentions or feeling that one has already attained something.”
4. Warm to dispel cold; do not drain the skin.
In winter, yang energy is drawn inward; it is advisable to gently warm the body without over-relying on heating devices, so as to prevent excess internal heat from rising.
Do not over‑exert the skin by excessive sweating, nor wash too frequently, as this can deplete the qi and cause shortness of breath. Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that sweat is the essence of the heart; except in summer, one should only induce a light perspiration at other times. Moreover, TCM practitioners may use medicinal powders to stop sweating or to enhance the absorption of therapeutic agents. Nevertheless, the traditional Chinese custom of washing one’s feet is also grounded in principle: we believe that six meridians of the body all run through the feet. In spring, foot washing can help elevate yang and consolidate the root; in summer, it dispels dampness and relieves heat, and a gentle sweat produced during foot washing can alleviate the summer heat. In autumn, foot washing moistens the lungs and nourishes the intestines; since autumn weather is dry and prone to coughing, regular foot washing helps keep lung qi moist and clear. At the same time, the lungs and large intestine are exterior–interior partners—only by retaining qi can one facilitate the passage of stool.
In winter, washing your feet warms and gently stimulates the dantian. The dantian is the place where the seed of life can be sown—a reservoir that holds energy through the cold months, ready to sprout in spring. Washing your feet during winter can bring a gentle warmth to the lower abdomen around the dantian, especially when you massage the Yongquan acupoint. If you feel any private, subtle joy, that’s a sign of vitality returning.
Be sure to soak your feet after dinner.
As the saying goes, “For a long life, keep your head cool, your feet warm, and eat until you’re only eight parts full.” The feet are often called the body’s “second heart,” so protecting them requires a scientific approach. After dinner, heat a basin of water, soak your feet while watching TV, and wait one to two hours—until your whole body feels warm—before going to bed. With the arrival of winter, many elderly people enjoy soaking their feet before sleep. However, there are three common misconceptions in this foot‑soaking routine that seniors should be aware of.
