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Prejšnji mesec me je obiskala moja mama. Ko sva bili skupaj zunaj, so nama rekli, da sva videti kot sestri. Prepričana sem, da se številni sprašujejo, zakaj in kako je tako veliko Azijcev videti tako mladostno. O, in skoraj sem pozabila omeniti, da je mama brez kakršnekoli diete ali manjših obrokov (pravzaprav sva jedli kar veliko) izgubila nekaj teže in obsega, ker je telovadila in se sproščala v prelepi slovenski naravi. Danes bom z vami delila našo skrivnost.
Suhost je prvi znak kože, ki se stara.
Koža je naš največji organ, zato je lahko kronična in neprestano suha koža opozorilni znak, da nekaj v našem telesu ne deluje pravilno. V kitajski medicini je koža povezana s pljučnim sistemom. Gre za najbolj zunanjega od notranjih sistemov, saj se notranjost našega telesa z vsakim vdihom sreča z zunanjim svetom. Pljučni sistem je zelo pomemben za uravnavanje vodnih kanalov. Obstajajo številne žleze znojnice in podkožna tkiva, ki nadzirajo tok vodne energije. Zato se lahko zdravje pljuč, ki so varuh vseh zunanjih stvari, kaže v stanju vaše kože. Najenostavnejši primer je koža verižnih kadilcev, ki je suha in prehitro postarana.
Za zdravje pljučnega sistema je najpomembnejša prehrana
Eden od razlogov, da so Azijci videti veliko mlajši od belcev iste starosti, naj bi bila hrana. Študija Univerze Monash v Melbournu je pokazala, da je bila koža Avstralcev, ki so bili rojeni v Grčiji in so uživali več zelene listnate zelenjave, jajčevcev, česna, suhega sadja in manj mononenasičenih maščob, mleka in kave, manj zgubana od anglokeltskih Avstralcev, ki so uživali več mleka, predelanega mesa, krompirja, tort in sladic ter živeli na območjih, izpostavljenih soncu. Iz živil, ki sem jih prej naštela, je tudi pretežno sestavljena azijska prehrana. Še bolje je, da Azijci kot glavno jed jejo riž in veliko zelenjave, kuhane na pari ali v vodi. Koristi te hrane bom predstavila v nadaljevanju. [Preberite več o prehrani TKM.]
Pljuča in debelo črevo
V skladu s TKM pljuča in debelo črevo delujejo v paru. Ko pljuča prejmejo energijo iz zgornje odprtine, je debelo črevo odgovorno za čiščenje strupov na drugem koncu. Naloga črevesja je iz prebavljene hrane absorbirati hranilne snovi in vodo ter telesu pomagati, da lahko v obliki blata izloči odpadne snovi. Blato, ki v črevesju ostane dlje, kot bi smelo, postane bolj trdo in ga je težje izločiti. Tudi počasno in nepopolno delovanje črevesja bo pustilo strupe, ki lahko povzročijo škodo tako črevesju kot sčasoma tudi telesu. Zgoraj omenjena živila, kot so sladkarije in mlečni izdelki, ponavadi zamašijo črevo, medtem ko listnata zelena zelenjava zagotavlja celulozo, ki spodbuja delovanje črevesja.
Kaj je vodni metabolizem in zakaj je pomemben?
Številni ljudje poskušajo suho kožo enostavno odpraviti le s pitjem velikih količin vode in nanašanjem vlažilnih losjonov, a to nima velikega učinka. Zakaj? Ker je vodni metabolizem šibek in ne prejema dovolj »vodne energije«. Vodna energija je hranilna, pomirjujoča in gradbena energija, ki pomaga tudi pri cirkulaciji in čiščenju. Tako kostni mozeg, likvor, plazma, slina kot kolagen itd. so vodna energija. Te tekočine se razlikujejo z razlogom – imajo namreč različne vloge in se nahajajo na različnih mestih. Da preživimo, moramo nedvomno piti vodo, vendar je zelo pomembno tudi, kako naše telo prenaša popito vodo na pravo lokacijo in jo spremeni v koristen material. In vodni metabolizem je prav to.
Pomen vraničnega sistema
Vranica je odgovorna za prenos hrane in vode, ki jo užijemo. Po telesu pomaga prenašati tekočine, hkrati pa pomaga izločati odvečne tekočine. In ja, naše telo mora prav zares prebaviti vodo. V skladu s teorijo TKM gre voda najprej skozi želodec, kjer se napolni z energijo Qi (riž je odličen za zagotavljanje Qija). Nato ta z energijo napolnjena voda preide v vranični sistem, ki jo prenese navzgor v pljučni sistem. Pljučni sistem jo uporabi za hranjenje in čiščenje vodnih kanalov. Ker je koža povezana s pljučnim sistemom, se lahko tako navlaži. Nato voda prenese zbrane odpadke v sečni mehur, ki jih izloči.
Ravnovesje vode in ognja
Dobro je, da imate močna pljuča, dobro vranico in odlično dobavo energije, a tega nikdar ne pozabite ščititi in ohranjati. Navade, kot so nastavljanje neposredni sončni svetlobi, kopanje v vroči vodi, uživanje ocvrte ali pekoče hrane, v telo prinesejo preveč ognjene energije. Stres in bedenje v noč pa tudi izčrpata dragoceno vodno energijo.
Končni nasveti
Kot ste lahko prebrali zgoraj, je ključ do zdrave in mladostne kože Azijcev več kot le genetika, ličila ali kozmetični izdelki, in sicer pravilna nega naših notranjih sistemov. Končni sklepi naše skrivnosti mladostnega videza so:
Sprostite se – svoj življenjski stil in delo uredite tako, da časa ne boste preživljali v zelo stresnem okolju; poskušajte ne biti preveč čustveni, saj bo to vplivalo na jetra in povzročilo preveč aktiven ogenj.
Izogibajte se pitju alkohola, kave, kajenju in uživanju vroče, pekoče ali ocvrte hrane, saj lahko ta povzroči vročino v jetrih, pljučih ali prebavilih ter vname kožo.
Uživajte določeno količino zelenjave ter hladilne hrane, kot so kumare, listnata zelena zelenjava, špinača, mungo fižol, jajčevci in hruške. Za več podrobnosti preberite Dietetiko kitajske medicine proti aknam.
Telovadite v prijetnih in udobnih razmerah ter se izogibajte močnemu soncu.
Lepotni spanec – zagotovite si dovolj spanca in ne hodite spat prepozno (najbolje pred 23.00).
Vzdržujte zdravje z akupunkturo in zelišči, da bo tako vaše telo obdržalo optimalno delovanje sistemov in dobro raven energije.
Prevod: Klara Lubej
Vir fotografije: internet
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TCM for Dry Skin --- the secret why Asians look younger
Last month my mum came and visited me. We hanged out together and people said that we look like sisters. I am sure that many of them have been wondering why and how could many Asians look so young? Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, without any special diet or eating less (in fact we eat quite a lot), my mother lost some weight and get slimmer simply by exercising more and relaxing in the beautiful Slovenian nature. Today, I am going to share our secret.
Dryness is the very first sign of aging skin.
While skin is the largest organ in your body, chronic and persistent dry skin can be a signal that something is not doing right deeper in your body. In Chinese medicine, skin is related to the Lung system. It is the most exterior of your internal system, because with every breath, the inside of your body comes into contact with the outside world. The Lung system is very important in regulating the water channel. There are many sweat glands and subcutaneous tissue to control the flow of water energy. So, as the keeper of all things external, the health of your Lungs can give off clues to the condition of your skin. For the clearest example of this, just look at the skin of heavy smokers, which is dry and prematurely aged.
Nothing matters more to the health of Lung system than a diet.
The typical Asian diet is arguably one reason why many Asians look young, much younger than Caucasians of the same age as them. A study by Melbourne’s Monash University found Greek-born Australians who consumed more green leafy vegetables, eggplant, garlic, dried fruits and less mono-unsaturated fat, milk and coffee had less skin wrinkling than those who had higher intakes of milk, processed meat, potatoes, cakes and pastries among Anglo-Celtic Australians who lived in sun-exposed places. The former foods are also major components of Asian diets. Even better, Asian eat rice as a main dish and plenty of steamed and boiled food. The benefits of these food will be explained later. [To learn more about TCM diet.]
Lung and large intestine
Lung and large intestine are working in a pair according to TCM. As the Lung receives energy from the upper opening, the large intestine is responsible for cleaning up the toxin out through the other end. The functions of the bowel are to absorb nutrients and water from digested food, and to help the body form and excrete waste products in the form of stools. Stools that stay in the bowel longer than they should will tend to become more dry and harder to pass. Sluggish or incomplete bowel movements will also leave behind toxins that may cause damage to both the bowel and the body over time. The above mentioned food like sweet and dairy products tends to congest the guts while green leafy vegetables in the opposite can provide cellulose to stimulate bowel movements.
What is water metabolism and why it matters?
Many people manage dry skin simply by drinking plenty of water and putting on moisturizing lotion but with very little effect. Why? It is because their water metabolism is weak and they are not getting ‘water energy’. Water energy is the nourishing, calming and building material energy, it also helps with circulation and cleaning, from you bone marrow, cerebral spinal fluids, plasma, saliva, collagen, etc are all water energy. These fluids are differentiated for a reason. They have different functions and locations. With no doubt we need to drink water to survive, but it is also very important how our body manage to transport those water to the right location and transform them into useful material. This is what the water metabolism about.
The importance of Spleen system
Spleen is responsible for the transportation of the food and the water we digest. It helps to transport fluids throughout our bodies and assists with excreting excessive fluids. And yes, our body actually need to digest water. According to TCM theory, water first pass through the stomach and energized by the Qi energy (rice is very good at providing Qi). Then the Spleen system accept these energized water and transport upward to the Lung system. The Lung system will use these energized water to nourish the water channel as well as cleaning them. Since the skin are connected to the Lung system so it can be moisturised. Finally the water will carry the waste then collected to the urinary bladder and cleaned out.
Water and Fire balance
Ok, you have strong Lung, good Spleen and water energy delivery is excellent. But never forget to protect and preserve this. Fire is the antagonistic energy to water. Habits like extensive direct sunlight, bathing with very hot water, eating deep fried or spicy food would bring too much fire energy to your body. Also, stress and staying up late also burn out your precious water energy.
Final tips
So, as you can read from the above, the key to healthy and young looking skin in Asian is beyond genetics, mankini or cosmetic products but a well-rounded care to our internal systems. Here are the conclusion of our young looking secret:
Relax – arrange your lifestyle and work so that it is not a very stressful environment; avoid becoming emotional – these will affect the Liver and cause overactive fire.
Avoid drinking alcohol, coffee, smoking and eating hot, spicy or deep-fried food– these can create Heat in the Liver, Lung or digestive system and flare up the skin.
Eat a certain amount of greens and cooling foods, such as cucumber, green leafy vegetables, spinach, mung beans, eggplant and pear. For more details, please check Chinese Medicine Dietetics For Acne.
Exercise in nice and comfortable conditions, avoiding strong sunshine.
Beauty Sleep – make sure you have enough sleep; avoid going to sleep too late (best time is before 11pm)
Health maintain with acupuncture and herbs – to keep your optimal system function and good level of energy.