Hello,
I am feeling compelled to comment on the wildly changeing weather and the effect it has on our health and well-being.
Lately in Torquay the weather has been very erratic. We have had a few very hot days, a lot of windy days and a lot of swinging between hot and cold weather.
In Chinese medicine we are always banging on about wind cold and wind heat as being causes of disease... 'How is this so?' I hear you ask. I have wondered this myself before and sought understanding of the concept.
In the classics, the wind is referred to as "the spearhead of a thousand diseases"! Sounds a bit drastic!? Who would've thought? Well, wind meddles with the outer layers of the body, for example the skin. In hot weather, our pores are open, allowing our bodies to sweat and cool down. In cold weather our pores are closed, in effort to maintain warmth. So you can see how when the weather is swinging between hot and cold, (or going between air con and hot summer weather), the skin and muscle layer can easily be affected by cold. Usually this results in symptoms of a 'wind cold' attack- stiff neck, clear runny nose, sneezing. Another example is the lung and respiratory tract. Bacteria and viruses need an agreeable environment in which to become abundant. We all have disease-causing bacteria and viruses in our bodies, but it is only when the conditions become agreeable to their proliferation that they become problematic. When the weather is hot and windy, the membranes of the Lung and respiratory tract are more likely to dry out and become suitable for bacteria and viruses to grow, as well as the wind being a carrier of these and other irritants (pollens, grasses, hayfever-causing irritants). These we would refer to as 'wind heat' attacks.
So what is the moral of this blog?
Keep yourself protected from the wind- Wear a scarf covering your neck, make sure you stay warm. Also, drink plenty of water, preferably warm, to keep your body well hydrated. When the sun comes out and you feel the heat of summer coming, enjoy the sunshine but in moderation. Avoid extremes! Happy Spring everyone.
