Talking about health preservation during the Qingming Festival: How to achieve health through \"cleansing\"?

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Qingming Festival is approaching soon; it is already spring. During this season when everything is in growth and the weather is still somewhat cold, people need to take care to protect the yang energy in their bodies while also preventing excessive liver fire. Foods that can trigger such reactions should be consumed with caution, and it is better to eat foods that help moisten the body, warm the stomach, and reduce dampness, such as tremella. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to more reasonable eating habits and a healthier way of eating. 　 Variable weather: keep the liver calm and stay warm at all times. Lately, there have been periods of wind and rain; as the Qingming Festival approaches, the weather seems to become even more changeable. Strong winds and heavy rain are typical weather conditions around the Qingming Festival, but as people go to visit graves and enjoy outdoor activities, they are more exposed to wind-related illnesses if they are not careful. Whether visiting graves or going out in the countryside, it is important to stay warm; it’s best to have a jacket that can be put on and taken off easily to prevent external pathogens from invading. Pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weak health should pay extra attention to keeping warm and getting rest when visiting graves. 　　During the Qingming Festival, the wind is relatively dry, and combined with excessive liver heat in the body, this can lead to symptoms such as a dry mouth and dry nose. When going outside, it is important to keep warm as well as drink plenty of water. In terms of diet, the focus should be on calming the liver, tonifying the kidneys, and moistening the lungs; the principles for dietary care involve strengthening the spleen, boosting yang energy, and eliminating dampness. Ginger, scallions, and leeks should be consumed in moderation, while foods that are dry or irritating such as mutton and chili peppers should be avoided. It is advisable to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables available in season. When going out for an outing in the countryside, it is important to take care of your skin and stomach. Starting from the Qingming Festival, insects become more active; therefore, one should avoid going deep into the grassy areas. It is best to wear long-sleeved clothes and pants as well as boots, and to tie up the cuffs and trouser legs to prevent the skin from being exposed. Spring is also a peak season for pollen allergies. People with allergic sensitivities should wear masks and sunglasses when visiting graves in the countryside, walk on the side of the plants and trees that is facing away from the wind, and carry anti-allergy medication if necessary. 　　When going out for an outing in the countryside, especially when taking children with you, be careful not to pick and eat unknown wild vegetables or mushrooms casually. If symptoms of food poisoning such as dizziness, difficulty breathing, purple lips, or vomiting occur, one should drink some warm water promptly, induce vomiting artificially, and seek medical attention at a nearby hospital as soon as possible. When visiting graves to pay respects, pay attention to mental health. Qingming Festival is an important festival for offering sacrifices, and many people inevitably feel sad and overwhelmed when seeing those relics. During the Qingming Festival, feelings of sadness and depression should not be allowed to persist for too long. Those with heart and blood vessel diseases or high blood pressure should be especially careful to avoid overexertion or stress, and remind themselves frequently to keep their emotions stable. It is best to have family members accompany them when visiting graves. Spring is a season when all things come to life; one should maintain a cheerful mood. Activities such as going out in nature and taking walks can help regulate emotions and bring joy to both body and mind. Prevention of spring diseases: In spring, all things come back to life and are full of vitality; various viruses and bacteria are also more likely to spread. The slightest disturbance can lead to the onset of diseases, which is why illnesses such as influenza, meningitis, whooping cough, measles, diphtheria, and mumps are common. At this time, it is necessary to adapt to climate changes by paying attention to keeping warm and exercising to boost the body’s ability to resist diseases. 　　In early spring, the weather may be pleasant with sunny days and warm weather, or it may be rainy, with cold winds and biting cold. During this time, dampness and heat, along with various pathogenic factors, begin to become active; microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, and other harmful agents also become more active. Therefore, during this peak season for diseases, taking measures to prevent infectious diseases is highly beneficial for our health. Prevention of mumps Mumps tends to spread in spring, with an incubation period of 7 to 14 days. The initial symptoms include general fatigue, thirst, and restlessness; sometimes a high fever of up to 39°C occurs. The main signs are redness and swelling around the earlobes, headache, and increased pain when opening the mouth or consuming acidic foods. The course of the disease lasts 1 to 2 weeks. 　　This disease spreads by saliva droplets that reach the oral and nasal mucosa, so it is necessary to limit children’s visits to crowded places such as cinemas and shopping malls; rooms should also be kept well-ventilated by keeping windows open regularly. 　　Patients with mumps must be isolated for 3 weeks. After falling ill, they should rest in bed, follow a light diet, rinse their mouths with 2% salt water daily, take Banlangen granules or antiviral oral solutions, and apply Ruyi Jinhuang powder externally. This virus is highly sensitive to ultraviolet light; therefore, the patient’s clothes and bedding should be disinfected by exposure to sunlight. To maintain good health during Qingming, it is necessary to balance liver qi and nourish liver yin. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that spring is associated with the liver. During the Qingming season, people’s emotions are prone to fluctuations, which can lead to an increase in liver fire and damage to liver yin. Therefore, when taking care of one’s health around this time, it is important to regulate liver qi, nourish liver yin, and eliminate wind-heat. 　　In terms of diet, consume more foods that soothe the liver and nourish the lungs, such as shepherd’s purse, Chinese yam, spinach, etc. Shepherd's purse helps boost the body’s immunity, lower blood pressure, and improve digestion; it can also treat conditions such as stomach cramps, dysentery, gastric ulcers, and enteritis ； Yam can prevent fat deposition in the cardiovascular system, maintain vascular elasticity, prevent arteriosclerosis, reduce subcutaneous fat accumulation, and help avoid obesity ； Spinach is a seasonal vegetable of spring; it has the effects of nourishing yin and moistening dryness, as well as soothing the liver and enriching blood. It provides effective adjuvant treatment for conditions such as hypertension, dizziness, diabetes, and anemia that occur in spring due to insufficient liver yin. 　　For soup preparations, herbs that help remove excess fluid and dampness, as well as those that nourish the blood and relax muscles, can be used frequently, such as tremella, coix seed, astragalus, mulberry, Chinese yam, chrysanthemum, and almonds.