The rainy season ended early this summer, and the hot days last longer than usual, and it seems that there will be many extremely hot days. Ladies and gentlemen, don't you have a summer heat?
During this period, there are other health concerns besides summer fatigue.
That is "cold".

How can you be cold when it's so hot...? There may be some people who think.
It's hard to be aware of the cold in summer, and modern lifestyles make it worse. This time, we interviewed Dr. Hiroko Funato, a Chinese medicine doctor, about the "summer cold" that we tend to fall into.

Please check it once again to see if it applies to you.
 

Summer is the season to sweat and dissipate heat. But it's too cold! ?

 “In Kampo medicine, summer is the season when 'yang qi' pours down from the sky and 'yang qi' rises from the ground.

It is the time when all things grow the most, just like the flowers that bloom in early spring bear fruit. Metabolism also increases, and children grow larger.

Adults have already stopped growing, so heat tends to build up in their bodies as their metabolism increases.

Therefore, in order to dissipate the accumulated heat, we sweat and adjust,” says Dr. Funato.
Summer in Japan is very humid, and the temperature is rising year by year.
In the past, we used to cool off in the shade of a tree while working up a sweat, or to feel the cool breeze in the evening, as the word yusuzumi used to say, but nowadays, we hardly ever stay in a room with an air conditioner. Is not it.
Cold drinks and food are often used to cool the body from the inside.

“In the past, we lived in a lifestyle that matched the seasons, and we maintained our health by enjoying the blessings of nature in each season.
However, in today's stressful society, it is difficult to put this into practice. It weakens your strength and unwittingly cools your body down."

There are three main types of “coldness”. The point is "spirit, blood, water"

“In Kampo medicine, the state of not being ill but deviating from a healthy state is called 'me-byo'.
"Coldness" is one of the symptoms of "me-byo", the stage before a major illness that will occur in the future.
And "coldness" leads to all kinds of diseases."

The condition of good health in Kampo medicine is that qi (energy), blood (nutrition), and water (body fluids) circulate without delay.
However, when qi (energy) is insufficient, blood (nutrition) cannot circulate well. Then, the blood flow is stagnant and it becomes a state of "blood stasis". In addition, due to a lack of qi (energy), the circulation of water (body fluids) becomes poor, and the body becomes in a state of "water stagnation" with poor drainage.

It can be said that the body with "coldness" is in a state where the balance of "ki, blood, and water" is broken. And the type of "cold" is roughly divided into three types.

1. A type in which extremities such as limbs and fingertips are cold
"It's a type of 'coldness' that makes your hands and feet congested easily due to a lot of stress and disturbances in your autonomic nervous system, which makes your Qi and blood circulation worse.
It is often seen in people who use their head and eyes a lot, and is characterized by fine hair.
It is easy to get sick before menstruation and tend to be constipated.
Spices such as turmeric, which has the effect of circulating energy, mint, which promotes the flow of energy, and red ones in the summer are recommended. , it would be a good idea to include

2. Cooling type for the entire lower body
“People who have a chubby body, few muscles, and are plump to the touch are what we call this type.
Water (bodily fluids) is stagnant, legs are easy to swell, and the lower body is thick.
For this type, the point is to refrain from salt even in summer.
I want you to eat watermelon positively because it eliminates swelling, but please do not sprinkle salt on it.
When boiling seasonal corn, leave one or two skins on and boil the corn with the whiskers (without salt, of course).
Drinking the boiled juice leads to the elimination of swelling. I also recommend the commercially available corn tea.”

3. Whole body cold type
"It's the most severe cold, and it's cold to the internal organs.
This type is characterized by lack of blood (nutrition) and less qi (energy).
The complexion is pale, the stomach is weak, and the internal organs are drooping.
It is often seen in the younger generation who have a so-called weak constitution, have irregular menstruation, and are always dieting.
This type should avoid cold all year round, let alone summer.
The correct answer is to warm your stomach as much as possible and choose foods that are easy to digest and absorb.
In addition, there are many cases where there are few muscles and it is cold, so we recommend that you regularly perform exercises such as squats. ”

Take care of your diet with spices and seasonal foods

“In Kampo medicine, there is a concept of food health, and in the summer, it is said that bitter vegetables such as bitter gourd, shallots, grain millet, meat as sheep, and fruit as apricots are good. We recommend eating spices that promote perspiration, sticky vegetables rich in dietary fiber, fish that provides high-quality protein, and high-quality oil.”
Here is an example of a recommended menu.

・Spice curry with lots of ingredients
A curry topped with boiled eggs and almond-grilled sardines, which are high-quality proteins, as well as seasonal vegetables such as okra, eggplant, tomato, Manganji pepper, bitter gourd, and tsurumurasaki.
Curry powder with turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, cardamom, etc. is used for the roux. Enjoy with turmeric rice with sweet and sour pickled purple cabbage and shallots.

·salad
A mixture of cucumber, tomato, fennel, lemon and mint, topped with a dressing made from non-oil soy milk yogurt.

·dessert
Dried apricots simmered in wine, watermelon, amazake (sweet sake) and grated ginger kudzu paste.
You can get plenty of ingredients that are perfect for summer nutrition, so please use it as a reference for your daily meals.
 

summary

"Once you get sick, it hurts, it's painful, and it costs money. If you want to use your mind and body as you want, it's important to stay healthy. and get through the summer well,” said Dr. Funato.
Not overlooking the "coldness" that is pre-symptomatic, and taking nutritious seasonal ingredients firmly will lead to health not only now but also in the future. I want to live day by day and take care of myself.

Hiroko Funato
Funato clinic doctor. He specializes in traditional medicine, including traditional Chinese medicine.
Personal medicinal meals that match each person's symptoms and worries are popular.
In October 2020, we opened “VillaCAMPO” as “a place where you can live as you are”.