Take Care That Winter Supplements Don’t Aggravate Insomnia and Other Conditions
As Friday marked the first day of winter, many people are preparing to make up and take winter tonics and supplements with health-boosting properties. However, caution is important when taking winter tonics, as even common ingredients, such as hot sesame oil tonic, can occasionally cause adverse side effects, including dry mouth and insomnia.
It is important to consider that winter health varies from year to year, and is dependent on physical fitness as well as external factors, such as the weather. The same winter tonics and supplements will not always be as effective from year to year, as conditions vary. As this winter is projected to be partially dry and colder, it will be important to take precautions to strengthen the body’s immune system.
For instance, Miss Zhang noted that on weekdays she experiences cold hands and feet, and added increased amounts of sesame oil to her cooking to increase body heat. She noted that this addition was unexpectedly counterproductive, as her increased consumption of sesame chicken, sesame oil, and sesame noodles lead to increased thirst during the day and difficulty sleeping at night.
Jiang Yu, a practitioner at Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital, said that cold hands and feet do not represent physical deficiencies, and that patients experiencing these symptoms may experience increased adverse effects from consuming dry foods. Jiang recommended eating nourishing foods, such as white fungus lotus soup, dark vegetables, and mulberries, as well as others.
Jiang Yu noted that the Central Weather Bureau estimates that this year cold and dry air will affect Taiwan, causing a winter that is both cold and dry. Jiang suggests that to promote good health and boost the immune system, practitioners should focus on warmth, and suggested the consumption of supplement ingredients such as ginger, mushrooms, yams, lily, ginseng, basil leaves, and other herbs to enhance the immune system and build the body’s natural resistance to illness.
Jiang noted that ginger can cause adverse microvascular effects in large qualities, and the fungi are rich in pectin and can benefit the lungs and joints. Jiang indicated that yams benefit the spleen and stomach, increase circulation and improve gastrointestinal immunity, and lily can have a stabilizing effect, which ginseng can increase the body’s overall immune health. Jiang recommended drinking basil leaf tea in place of regular tea in order to boost the immune system, and noted that as astragalus can be a beneficial supplement to augment physical treatments, astragalus as well as cinnamon can be added in the appropriate amounts to health-boosting teas.
How to understand your body’s condition? Jiang explained that cold hands and feet in the winter can indicate poor blood circulation, and if coupled with a cold cough, eating cold foods could aggravate symptoms.
If a fever follows a cold, along with dry mouth, dizziness, headaches, or high blood pressure, the body is experiencing inflammation. However, according to Jiang, many people possess “cold mixed” constitutions, which can change with the seasons and according to exposure to different physical conditions. Jiang suggests consulting a physician in these cases.
Yang Shujun of Tzu Chi Hospital in Taipei reminds practitioners and patients with chronic diseases to be careful, and recommends that it is best to consult practitioners when selecting the appropriate medicine. Yang recommends a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle which includes the consumption of warming teas and herbs along with simple body massage in order to strengthen the body’s health and natural immunity to the challenges posed by the winter season.
Source: Merit Times
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