Boost your immunity during the pandemic | 提高自身免疫力，平安度过疫情期

Modern people live in an age of fast paced lifestyle under a lot of work-life pressure. Coupled with the current pandemic, people fall easily in a state of mental tension and anxiety. If not well adjusted, it will affect the balance of our body, impacting our body immunity, reducingbody resistance, harmful materials in the external environment may easily invade the body, causing various diseases, including COVID-19 and flu. We need tomaintain our healthy status everyday and improve immunity.

The priority is to avoid contracting COVID-19. Getting vaccinated is crucial and proven effective worldwide. The elderly and the physically compromised need to minimize their exposure to the virus by avoiding going to crowded places.

It is more important to improve our ability to resist disease. And reduce the damage the virus does to our body.

1. Exercise more.

Active their own positive energy and increase the body's metabolic capacity.

2. Enhance the function of our lungs.

In Traditional Chinese medicine, one of the main functions of the lung is "vital qi". The lungs are responsible for respiration. They inhale fresh air from the nature and exhale waste. The lungs also hold the breath of the whole body. That is, the lungs will bring the fresh air tosupply to the whole body’s viscera organs, so as to maintain full body functions. Weak lung function makes the human body prone to infection, resulting in respiratory diseases. Such as cough, tracheitis, pneumonia and more. In daily diet, some ingredients or Chinese medicines that can nourish lung and nourish qi can be used appropriately, such as tremella, pear, lily, Sand ginseng and jade bamboo. We can also cooperate with some head and face acupoint massage to dredge the meridians qi and blood, prevent upper respiratory tract infection. It is also useful when fighting infection after nasal congestion, headache. For example, massage the head and face of Yingxiang point, temple, fengchi point, and Baihui point.

3. Enhance the functions of the spleen and stomach

The spleen and stomach are our important organs for digestion and absorption. The food we eat should be digested and absorbed by the stomach and intestines, and transformed into nutrients needed by the body. The most important thing do is to have a balanced diet. That is, eat regularly, eat less greasy and spicy food and eat less cold food. We can also use herbal ingredients and medicines, for example tuckahoe, huai shan, coix seed, euryale seed, lotus seed to make soup or porridge. These help to improve digestion and absorption.

4. Adjust mood

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that emotions affect the body's liver function. Long-term tension, anxiety and anger can cause liver catharsis and functional disorders. This can affect our lung and spleen and stomach normal functioning. During weekdays, we can drink some Chinese herbal tea to nourish the liver. For example, Chai Hu, chrysanthemum, mulberry leaves, and cassia seeds burdock root, can be substituted for tea. You can also massage some acupoints regularly to help soothe the liver and regulate qi, promote blood circulation, so as to improve the function of the body. For example, massage Taichong Point, Tanzhong Point, and Neiguan point.

The above brief introduction puts forward some ways to improve physical function. Hopefully, this will help our readers to better manage health during the pandemic.

This information is presented by Wendy Weng, Natural Way Chinese Medicine.

For further information please contact Mob: 0401 607 662.

现代人们的生活节奏快，工作生活压力大，再加上当下的疫情，人们很容易处在精神紧张焦虑的状态。如果得不到很好地调理，会影响我们身体脏腑的功能的平衡，导致身体免疫力降低，身体的抵抗力降低了，外界环境中的有害物资容易“侵入”身体，造成各种“疾病”。比如现在的COVID-19，流感等等。所以我们在日常生活中要注意“强壮身体”，提高自身免疫力。

目前重要的是避免感染COVID-19病毒。当然重要的是接种疫苗，这是目前世界公认的有效的方法。老年人和体弱者尽量少去人多拥挤的地方，减少接触病毒的机会。

更重要的是要提高我们自身抵抗疾病的能力。减少病毒对身体的损害。

第1. 大家要多锻炼身体。

活跃自身的“阳气”，增加身体的代谢能力。

第2. 增强“肺”的功能。

中医学认为肺的主要功能之一是“主气”。肺主呼吸之气，即吸入大自然的空气。呼出体内的废气。肺也主全身之气。即肺将吸人的新鲜空气供应给全身各个脏腑器官，从而保持全身功能活动充沛有力。肺的功能不足，人体就容易感染外界病毒，导致呼吸系统的病变。比如咳嗽，气管炎，肺炎等。在日常的饮食中，可以适当用些有养肺益气的食材或中药材，比如银耳，梨，百合，沙参，玉竹等等。也可以配合一些头面部的穴位按摩，可以疏通经络气血，预防上呼吸道感染，对于感染病毒后鼻塞，头疼，也有一定的帮助。比如按摩头面部的迎香穴，太阳穴，风池穴，百会穴等。

第3. 调理脾胃。

脾胃是我们消化吸收的重要器官。我们所吃的食物都要经过胃肠的消化吸收，转化成身体所需的营养精微物质。调养脾胃最重要的一点是饮食有节。即有规律进食，少食油腻辛辣刺激食物， 少食寒凉的食物。也可以用一些健脾养胃的药材，比如茯苓，淮山，薏仁米，芡实，莲子等煲汤或煮粥，有助于提高脾胃的消化吸收能力。

第4. 调整情绪

中医认为情绪会影响身体“肝”的疏泄功能。长期紧张焦虑，生气等会造成肝的疏泄功能失常，出现“肝郁气滞”，可以影响我们的“肺”和“脾胃”的正常工作。 所以平日可以适当的饮用一些中药茶以“清肝”。比如用柴胡，菊花，桑叶，决明子牛蒡根等按照一定的比例代茶饮。 也可以经常按摩一些穴位帮助“疏肝理气”，促进血液循环，从而提高身体的机能。比如按摩太冲穴，膻中穴，内关穴等等。

以上简单的介绍一些提高身体机能的方法，希望可以帮助大家更好的调理身体，度过疫情期。

文章内容由Wendy Wang，Natural Way Chinese Medicine提供。

如需更多信息，请电话联系0401 607 662。