How to Maintain Health During Winter？

1. General Guidelines for Winter Health Maintenance

"In the three months of winter, this is the time for conserving and storing energy. The water freezes, and the earth cracks. During this season, do not disturb the yang energy. Go to bed early and rise late, waiting for the sunlight before getting up. The mind should be calm and focused inward, as if hiding something precious. Seek warmth and avoid cold, do not expose the skin, as this depletes the body's energy. This is the response to winter's energy and the method of preserving it. If you go against this, you will harm your kidneys, leading to weakness in spring, and reduced vitality." — Huangdi Neijing, Suwen, Four Seasons Regulating Life.

The three months of winter are the time when the body begins to conserve its vital energy. Water freezes, and the ground cracks from the cold. During this period, it is not advisable to disturb the body's yang energy. One should go to bed early and wake up late, rising only when the sun is up.

At this time, avoid exertion and keep the mind calm and inward-focused. One should not be preoccupied with external matters but instead maintain a quiet and contented state, as if guarding something precious. This means conserving vital energy and keeping it within.

It is essential to stay warm, avoiding exposure to cold environments, and keeping the body warm. If the skin is exposed in winter, the body's vital yang energy will quickly be depleted. This is the method of adapting to winter's climate to preserve the body's energy.

Emphasizing warmth again, it's crucial to protect the neck during winter. The area where the head and neck meet is vulnerable to cold, as it is where the blood and energy flow is weakest. The three acupoints in this area are called Fengchi, Fengfu, and Yifeng. It's more important to wear a scarf to protect the neck than a hat. This also helps to prevent the loss of skin warmth.

Ignoring the need to conserve energy in winter will harm the kidneys, leading to a deficiency in the energy required for growth in spring and resulting in weakness and illness.

2. Addressing Frequent Yawning and Tearing

As winter begins, the body's energy starts to conserve and gather in the kidneys. Blood and energy are in a state of decline. If you continue to exert your body, it will need to draw energy from the liver to replenish what is being lost. This effort to draw energy causes yawning.

Tearing indicates that the liver, which is struggling to keep up with the demand, is overworked. When the liver energy is insufficient, tears flow because the liver is connected to the eyes. Symptoms like blurry vision, dry eyes, eye twitching, and nearsightedness are often due to the liver energy being out of sync with the body's functions.

3. Take It Easy

If the above explanation from Huangdi Neijing is still hard to grasp, a simpler way to put it is that the best way to maintain health in winter is to be lazy, like a turtle. Do as little as possible, and if you can avoid doing something, don't do it. The lazier you are, the more vital energy you will conserve in your kidneys, leading to better health next year. Nurturing the kidneys during winter is crucial because if your kidneys are well-maintained, you'll have abundant energy throughout the year. If you feel sluggish this year, it's likely because your kidneys weren't well cared for last winter. So, if your kidneys were not well-maintained last winter, this winter is even more important for catching up. If you don't take care of your kidneys this winter, you'll again lack energy next year.

Take naps, rest your eyes, and soak up some sunlight. Slow down, stay indoors, and reduce unnecessary activity. Avoid unnecessary exertion.

Winter is not the time for hard work. If your body signals that it needs rest and conservation, but you push yourself with high energy and enthusiasm, you're going against the natural flow of winter. This can lead to adverse effects; even if you achieve something in your career, the cost might be a weak and tired body next year. Failing to conserve energy in winter will leave you with insufficient vitality for the entire following year.

Winter is not the time to spend but to save. If you keep spending energy throughout the year without ever stopping to conserve, eventually, your energy will be depleted, leading to fatigue, weakness, and even exhaustion.

4. Nourishing the Kidneys in Winter

According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), each season is associated with the nourishment of different organs: spring is for the liver, summer for the heart, late summer for the spleen, autumn for the lungs, and winter for the kidneys.

Kidney diseases are becoming more common in younger people. I know of a young man born in 1990 who was very strong but was found to have proteinuria and high blood pressure during a routine check-up. After spending thousands of dollars and visiting several renowned hospitals, he was finally diagnosed with nephritis. Now, he relies on hormone medication to maintain kidney function, but the outlook is not promising, and further deterioration could lead to uremia. In recent years, I've encountered several young patients with nephritis, most of them born in the 1980s and 1990s.

The fundamental principle of nourishing the kidneys in winter is to align with the winter season's energy, as mentioned earlier. Every aspect of life should be in harmony with the natural energy flow of the season.

Pay attention to small details like not holding in urine or sitting on damp surfaces for too long, as these can harm the kidneys. Also, moderation in sexual activity is crucial.

In TCM, the kidneys store vital energy. If the kidneys fail to conserve energy during winter, it's like a machine running on an empty fuel tank. Over time, this leads to exhaustion. On the other hand, if the kidneys are not properly cared for and suddenly have to store a lot of energy, they can become blocked. This is why kidney diseases often accompany high blood pressure.

One of the most severe ways to harm the kidneys is to go against the natural flow of winter. If you fail to conserve energy during winter, you will lose vital energy. Just like a plant with shallow roots that cannot grow well in the spring, a person without deep-rooted kidney energy cannot thrive.

5. Winter Nourishment Prepares You for Spring

In TCM, it's believed that the process of digesting and converting food into vital energy consumes the body's stored yang energy.

In summer, yang energy is dispersed in the body’s surface and limbs, leaving the internal organs empty. Even if you eat nutritious food, there is not enough yang energy to digest it. In winter, however, yang energy is stored within the organs, making it easier to digest complex and nutritious foods. This is the basis for the concept of winter nourishment.

It's advisable to focus on grains, meats, seasonal vegetables, and nuts during winter and to avoid eating off-season produce.

If you nourish your body well during winter, you’ll have abundant energy in spring, feeling as strong as if you could fight a tiger. This is why there’s a saying: "Nourish in winter, fight the tiger in spring."

6. Consequences of Ignoring Winter's Energy

Some people often have black spots on their faces, which is a sign of excessive cold in the body. This cold often originates from exposure to wind and cold during winter. It’s easy to get, but hard to get rid of.

Menstrual pain, infertility, joint diseases, allergies, and rhinitis are mostly caused by going against the winter energy, with some cases caused by exposure to cold air conditioning in summer. Therefore, wearing just socks with bare legs or exposing your belly, especially the navel, is not advisable. In TCM, exposing the navel is considered highly detrimental. The navel, known as the Shenque acupoint, is a vital point, and exposing it can lead to serious health problems.

In spring, many people suffer from cold hands and feet, a condition known as jue ni in TCM. This is often accompanied by irritability, as the liver energy becomes cold, blocked, and stagnant. The liver's inability to function smoothly leads to bad temper. Liver energy stagnation can also cause muscle atrophy.

Many liver-related diseases have their roots in kidney dysfunction. In TCM, the liver and kidneys share a common source. A strong kidney foundation can prevent many liver issues.

7. The Cycle of Growth, Transformation, Storage, and Continuation of Life

If a tree only lived for one year, it wouldn’t need to grow deep roots. If grass only lived for one year, it wouldn’t need to produce seeds. If humans only lived for one year, they wouldn’t need to conserve energy during winter.

The issue is that trees, grass, and humans all live year after year. Not only do they continue to live, but they also have offspring who carry on the cycle of life.

Health maintenance requires long-term planning. You can't just focus on short-term pleasure and sensory stimulation. If you fail to conserve energy this year, you won't grow well next year. If you fail to conserve energy in this lifetime, you’ll have less to pass on to your descendants, putting them at a disadvantage. This is the principle of growth, transformation, storage, and the continuation of life.

8. The Yin-Yang of the Four Seasons and the Foundation of Life and Death

"The four seasons of yin and yang are the beginning and end of all things and the foundation of life and death. Going against them leads to disaster, while following them prevents illness. This is the way of the Dao. The sage practices it, while the foolish ignore it. Following yin and yang leads to life, going against them leads to death. Following them heals, going against them leads to disorder. Rebellious yin and yang lead to evil qi, while harmonious yin and yang bring peace." — Huangdi Neijing, Suwen, Four Seasons Regulating Life.

This passage from Huangdi Neijing emphasizes the importance of respecting the cycles of nature. The yin-yang balance of the four seasons governs the natural world, including our bodies. Going against this balance causes harm, while following it promotes health. The wise adhere to these natural laws, while the foolish ignore them. Harmony with yin and yang leads to a long and healthy life, while disharmony brings illness and early death.

In conclusion, the best way to maintain health during winter is to follow the natural rhythm of the season, conserve energy, and avoid unnecessary exertion. By doing so, you'll be able to enjoy better health and vitality in the coming year and beyond.