The twenty-four-character secret formula of traditional Chinese medicine for maintaining health

Live in accordance with the times, harmonize emotions, eat and drink in moderation, move and rest appropriately, prevent diseases before they occur, and strengthen the foundation and cultivate the vitality.

When many people see these twenty-four words for the first time, their first reaction is, “Isn’t this an old saying that they have heard eight hundred times? ”When I had a consultation with Mr. Li from the Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, I met many patients who came with internet celebrity health prescriptions. They either tried to "neutralize cold and heat" with American ice cream every day, or they went to bed at 3 a.m. and started at 12 noon and said that "sleeping 8 hours is a scientific health regimen."

Take the first four words "living in accordance with the times" as an example. There are actually differences between different schools. The Jingfang school pays more attention to following the sun. In the "Huangdi Neijing", "sunrise and sunset" is the benchmark. In winter, you should go to bed early and get up late, and wait for the sun to come out before going out for exercise. I know an old Jingfang doctor in his 70s who never gets up at five o'clock in the winter to climb Xiangshan Mountain. He waits until after eight o'clock when the sun is warm before going out for a walk. His blood pressure is better than that of many twenty-year-old young people.； But doctors from the febrile disease school are more flexible, saying how can office workers sleep at sunset now? As long as you have a fixed work and rest rhythm, for example, if you go to bed at 11pm and wake up at 7am all year round, even if it does not completely meet the requirements of ancient times, it will still be better than staying up until 3pm today and waking up at 9am tomorrow. Both views are actually correct. The core is "Following", either following the weather or the rhythm of your own body. Just don't mess around. By the way, there are also twenty-four-character formulas of many folk schools that focus more on the corresponding organs of the four seasons. They say "nourishing the liver in spring, nourishing the heart in summer, nourishing the lungs in autumn, nourishing the kidneys in winter, nourishing the spleen in all seasons, and keeping healthy qi in the body." In fact, the essence is the same as the mainstream version, but the perspective is different, and there is no better or worse.

When it comes to "coordinating emotions", don't think that this is chicken soup. Last month, a 40-year-old female patient came for follow-up consultation. She had grade 3 breast nodules and small nodules on her thyroid. When feeling her pulse, it was like a fully drawn bow string. She asked her about the fact that she was having a breath every day with her son who had just entered junior high school. She also had to quarrel with her husband when she got home. She drank a lot of Xiaoyao Pills and rose tea to no avail. When Master Li prepared the prescription for her, he specifically added that she should go out and dance for 40 minutes every night after dinner and not stare at her children doing homework. Three weeks later, she had a follow-up visit and said that the feeling of congestion in her chest was basically gone and the nodules were a little smaller during the follow-up examination. You see, it is more effective than any expensive supplements she takes.

As for "eating and drinking in moderation" that everyone is most concerned about, the most controversial issue online now is whether or not we should eat and drink with restraint. Doctors from the Fuyang School always say that you should eat less cold food because your spleen and stomach are naturally afraid of cold. However, there are also doctors who treat febrile diseases and say that if you have a hot constitution and usually have a dry mouth and prone to oral ulcers, there is no problem if you eat some cold food in moderation. My own experience is that this "festival" does not mean that you can't touch milk tea hot pot at all, but don't overdo it. For example, if you eat hot pot once a week to satisfy your craving, it will be fine, but if you eat it every day, no matter how good your spleen and stomach are, it won't be able to handle it. There used to be a little girl who only ate boiled vegetables every day in order to lose weight. After three months of eating, her period stopped. This was an extreme and violated the original meaning of "festival".

“There are even more people who fall into this trap. They either lie down every day and even order takeaways for meals, or they die as soon as they exercise. Some people have fluid in their knees after running a half-marathon. Some people have irregular menstruation by lifting iron every day. I also made this mistake a few years ago. I practiced core training for two hours a day in order to practice my vest line. I was so weak that I started sweating when I moved even a little bit. Master Li scolded me and said that the exercises to maintain health are "micro-movements". Playing Ba Duan Jin, taking a walk, and sweating a little is enough. You are training for athletes, not for ordinary people to maintain health. Later, I changed to walking for half an hour after meals every day, and playing badminton with friends on weekends. On the contrary, I became more energetic.

The last two words, "Prevent illness before it's too late, strengthen the foundation and nourish the body." Many people interpret it as "you have to take supplements even if you're not sick." This is really a grandma's fault. I once met a retired man who ate ginseng and cordyceps every day until he had nosebleeds. He also said that he was "strengthening the foundation and cultivating the body." In fact, prevention before you get sick means that if you have any minor problems, you should treat them as soon as possible. Don't wait until they become serious illnesses. For example, if you are prone to colds, do some moxibustion in advance to replenish lung qi, which is better than injecting fluids when you have a cold and fever. ； Consolidating the foundation and building the body does not require you to take many health supplements. Staying up less late, being less angry, and eating well are the best ways to build the body.

In fact, these twenty-four words put it bluntly. There is nothing mysterious. They are all the most practical principles passed down by our ancestors. There is no need to chase after some Internet celebrity health prescriptions that easily cost hundreds of dollars. Doing these points is better than anything else. If you are really not sure what is suitable for your physique, it is much more reliable to find a reliable Chinese medicine doctor to take your pulse than to check the half-stay guide on the Internet.