Summer health care focuses on "nurturing the heart"

Author: Hu Lin, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University

Reviewer: Zhou Ying, Chief Pharmacist, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University

Summer is a season of luxuriant branches and leaves, full of vitality, and nourishing all things. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, Suwen, The Great Theory of the Four Qis and the Regulating the Spirit states: "The three months of summer are the season of abundance and growth. When the qi of heaven and earth interact, all things blossom and bear fruit. Sleep at night and get up early, do not be tired of the sun, so that the mind is not angry, so that the flowers and fruits bloom, and the qi can be released. If the one you love is away, this is the response of the summer qi, and it is the way to nourish and grow. If you go against it, you will be sad, in autumn you will suffer from malarial diseases, and few people will be able to harvest, and in winter you will be seriously ill."

The heart is one of the most important organs in the human body. A normal adult's heart weighs about 300 grams and is located above the diaphragm, between the two lungs, slightly to the left. The heart has four chambers, namely the left atrium, right atrium, left ventricle, and right ventricle, which are separated by the atrial septum and ventricular septum, respectively, and are not connected to each other.

The heart is the source of life. Once the heart stops beating, it means that life is about to end.

How to protect your heart?

Proper exercise

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Follow the natural law of "spring growth, summer growth, autumn harvest, winter storage". Summer is hot, the yang energy is strong, the human body consumes a lot, and activities should not be too intense, otherwise it is easy to cause heat stroke. You can choose a slightly slower exercise that suits you, such as walking, yoga, Tai Chi, etc. You can drink some thirst-quenching drinks during exercise, such as green tea, mint water, electrolyte water, sour plum soup, etc.

A healthy diet

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As the saying goes, "Summer is good for the body and it helps to relieve heat." Suffering in summer is also good for the heart. How should we "suffer" in summer? Please read on.

(1) People with damp-heat or yin deficiency constitution are suitable for eating bitter foods: damp-heat is manifested by limb fatigue, bitter taste in the mouth, thirst, itchy skin, short and dark urine, etc.; yin deficiency is manifested by dry throat and mouth, weight loss, afternoon hot flashes, night sweats, etc. This group of people can eat lotus seed core, bitter melon and other foods appropriately.

(2) People with spleen deficiency, qi deficiency and yang deficiency are not suitable for eating too much "bitter" food: spleen deficiency is manifested by sallow complexion, weight loss, difficulty in digesting food, abdominal pain and bloating, diarrhea, etc.; qi deficiency is manifested by palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness and forgetfulness, weakness in the waist and knees, etc.; yang deficiency is manifested by fear of cold, cold limbs, lack of energy, etc.

There are many kinds of fruits in summer, and you can eat watermelon, peach, hawthorn, apple, banana, kiwi, etc. appropriately. Because they are rich in vitamins and minerals, they have high nutritional value, help maintain blood pressure stable, prevent thrombosis, and reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Peace of mind

Health preservation in summer focuses on "nurturing the heart", and nurturing the heart focuses on "calming the mind". The summer heat is unbearable, and people are easily irritable, especially the elderly, who are easily emotionally agitated, leading to angina pectoris, increased blood pressure, increased probability of myocardial infarction, and even sudden death in severe cases. Therefore, we must maintain a peaceful state of mind. When you are irritable, you can try reading, playing chess, closing your eyes to rest, listening to music, etc., which can help you calm your mind and calm your spirit, thereby calming your mind.

Drug intervention

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Cardiovascular disease is a common disease, especially among people over 50 years old. In my country, more than 500,000 people die suddenly from heart disease every year, which is equivalent to about one person dying suddenly every minute. Heart disease should be taken seriously.

For heart disease, it is recommended to prepare some emergency and daily medicines at home. So, what are the commonly used backup medicines for heart disease?

(1) Antianginal drugs

1) Nitrates: such as nitroglycerin tablets and isosorbide dinitrate/isosorbide mononitrate tablets. The former is used for the treatment and prevention of coronary heart disease and angina pectoris, and is a commonly used emergency medicine for heart disease patients. When angina pectoris symptoms occur, taking nitroglycerin sublingually immediately can quickly relieve them; the latter is used for long-term treatment of coronary heart disease and prevention of angina pectoris.

2) β-blockers: such as propranolol hydrochloride tablets, metoprolol succinate sustained-release tablets, etc. Used for hypertension, angina pectoris, etc.

3) Calcium channel blockers: including nifedipine tablets/controlled-release tablets/slow-release tablets, etc. Used for hypertension, coronary heart disease, chronic stable angina pectoris (exertional angina pectoris), etc.

(2) Cardiotonic drugs : such as digoxin tablets. They are used for hypertension, acute and chronic heart failure, especially heart failure with atrial fibrillation and rapid ventricular rate.

(3) Antiplatelet drugs : such as enteric-coated aspirin tablets. They are used to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and prevent the recurrence of myocardial infarction.

(4) Statins : such as atorvastatin calcium tablets, simvastatin tablets, etc. They are used for patients with coronary heart disease or coronary heart disease risk factors combined with hypercholesterolemia or mixed dyslipidemia to reduce the risk of angina pectoris.

(5) Diuretics : such as furosemide tablets, spironolactone tablets, etc. They can reduce the heart load and reduce water and sodium retention in the body. They are commonly used drugs for patients with heart failure. However, when the two drugs are used in combination, the patient's blood potassium concentration must be closely monitored.

(6) Chinese patent medicines : such as Quick-acting Heart-saving Pills, which are used for coronary heart disease and angina pectoris caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis; Musk Heart-protecting Pills, which are used for chest pain caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis; and Compound Danshen Drops, which are used for chest tightness and angina pectoris.

It should be noted that the above medicines need to be used under the guidance of a professional doctor or pharmacist!

“In spring, nourish the liver; in summer, nourish the heart; in autumn, nourish the lungs; in winter, nourish the kidneys; nourish the spleen and stomach all year round.” In the coming summer, let’s nourish our hearts together!

References

[1] Zhao Chengwen, Li Mingzhe. Beginning of summer nourishes the heart and boosts yang, while Grain Full strengthens the spleen and eliminates dampness[J]. Chinese Medicine Health and Wellness, 2018, 4(5):28-29.

[2] Wei Jinghong. Suffering to nourish the heart? Not everyone is suitable [J]. Family Medicine. Happy Health, 2016(7):19.

[3] Wu Shimin. Rational use of drugs for heart disease is very important[J]. Health Care and Medical Garden, 2021(7):44-46.