People often talk about the "five internal organs and six bowels." The "lungs " and " large intestine " are obviously different things, so why are they often mentioned together?
First, both belong to metal in the five elements; second, their roles in the human body are both related to "water metabolism".
The connection between the large intestine and water metabolism may be easier to imagine. In traditional Chinese medicine theory, there is a saying that "the large intestine is responsible for fluid". After people eat food, the nutrients in the food are mainly absorbed in the small intestine, and the remaining food residues and water will enter the large intestine, where the large intestine reabsorbs the water and excretes the food residues in the form of feces. This is the connection between the large intestine and water metabolism.
What about the lungs? Many people would wonder: "Aren't lungs responsible for breathing? What does it have to do with water?" In fact, there is also a saying in Chinese medicine that the lungs can "regulate the water channels." After people eat food, the nutrients produced will not only go to the spleen and stomach, but also pass through the lungs in the form of water vapor .
You can imagine the lungs as the lid of a teapot. When the teapot is filled with hot water, the water vapor will continue to rise. If we cover the lid at this time, the water vapor will condense on the lid and then drip down. This is why in clinical practice, if elderly men have problems with prostate hypertrophy and cannot urinate, one of the possible reasons may be "pulmonary obstruction", that is, the lid of the teapot is not opened. If this is the cause, Chinese medicine practitioners often use the "lift the teapot and open the lid method" and prescribe medicine to help promote lung qi.
In fact, there are still many things about the large intestine and lungs that most people don't know! Let's learn more about them below.
The lungs are the source of qi and blood. Here are 4 tips to help you maintain them.
Many people often say that the heart is the starting point of all operations in the human body, but from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the importance of the "lungs" in this regard should not be underestimated. Why? Because the lungs "control the air and control breathing", the air that people breathe into the body needs to be transmitted to all parts of the body through the lungs.
For adults, the lungs are in charge of breathing and are also the source of the "pulse" and circulation in the human body. The circulation of qi and blood allows the "pulse" to fully play its role in transportation, so there is a saying that "the lungs face all the meridians." In the "Qi and Blood Flowing Song" that has been circulated for many years, the starting position of the lungs can also be found: the lungs are in Yin, the stomach is in Chen, the spleen is in Si, the heart is in Wu, and the small is in Wei. Shen is in the bladder, You is in the kidney, and the pericardium is in Xu. Hai is in the third position, and Zi is in the gallbladder, and Chou is in the liver.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the lungs are also related to the ability to resist external pathogens (the lungs govern the skin and fur), as well as the health of the nose (the lungs open to the nose). They may even affect a person's worry (the lungs govern worry), so you must take good care of them.
Generally speaking, people with poor lung qi often have sagging shoulders, hunched backs, and are unable to hold their heads up and chests out . If you want to properly maintain the health of your lungs, you can do so through the following four methods.
1. Start by taking care of your spleen and stomach
In the Five Elements diagram of traditional Chinese medicine theory, adjacent elements will present a "mutually generating" relationship. The "earth" and "metal" of "wood, fire, earth, metal, and water" belong to such a relationship. Corresponding to the human body, it is the "spleen" and "lung" that convey the mutual generating relationship. Therefore, if we want to take care of the health of the lungs, the first step can be to take care of the spleen and stomach.
So how can we take care of our spleen and stomach? Eat less cold and spicy food, this is the simplest and most fundamental way. Because cold and spicy food will cause a burden on the spleen and stomach, so eating less can ensure the health of the spleen and stomach.
2. Eat more white foods
Cold and spicy foods should be eaten less, so what can we eat more? In the five elements, the lungs correspond to gold, and gold corresponds to white, so consuming more white foods is also very helpful for lung health. Common white foods include lilies, fungus and lotus seeds.
3. Eat more nourishing foods
The lungs have a characteristic, that is, they "like moisture and hate dryness", so Dr. Guo recommends that in addition to white foods, we can also supplement with foods with strong moisturizing effects, such as oils. Common oils include flax seed oil, fish oil or nuts.
In addition, it is recommended to avoid cooking oil at high temperatures to prevent chemical changes that are harmful to health; the ideal way to eat it is to boil the ingredients in water and then pour the oil on the food.
4. Massage the starting points of the lung meridian, "Zhongfu Point" and "Yunmen Point"
To improve lung health, we can also massage the starting point of the lung meridian through the body surface, the "Zhongfu Point" and "Yunmen Point" located on the chest. The Yunmen Point is located at the outer end of the lower part of the clavicle, that is, the upper edge of the pectoralis major and the depression of the clavicle. The Zhongfu Point is directly below the Yunmen Point, between the third and fourth ribs.
2 tips to maintain colon health and avoid constipation and diarrhea
As mentioned before, the large intestine is the organ that manages body fluids and is involved in water absorption. In addition, it must also pass the body's metabolic waste (waste) out of the body in the form of feces, so it is closely related to health. Now that we have talked about how to maintain lung health, why not learn how to take care of the large intestine as well!
1. Reduce your intake of red meat and red wine
Red meat and red wine can easily cause heat in the large intestine, thereby increasing the risk of hemorrhoids. Therefore, it is recommended to reduce the intake of red meat and red wine to maintain intestinal health.
2. Reduce the intake of spicy food
Spicy food can put a great burden on the body and easily cause constipation, so it is recommended to eat less for health reasons. However, Dr. Guo also added that it is actually good to eat some "slightly spicy" food occasionally, such as rosemary, lavender and other ingredients that have the effect of "dredging qi and blood".
Through this introduction, I believe you have a clearer understanding of the importance of the lungs and large intestine in the human body. From now on, properly protect the health of your lungs and large intestine!
Komentáře