When it gets cold, what is the best thing to do to avoid catching a winter chill? There are four major parts of the body you must always keep warm in fighting against the winter cold, and when they are warm, the whole body becomes warm. When the temperatures are low, you must use warm clothing to wrap up to stay warm.
4 important body parts to keep warm when the weather turns cold
1. Head
An uncovered head is the most sensitive part of the body to respond to a change in temperature. Ye Jianduan, the director of Jiapin Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, points out that in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the head is the meeting place of all the yang energies and all the yang channels.
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Being at the top of the body, the head is an especially easy target to be affected by the cold. When the temperature drops, keep the head warm with a cap or hat so that the body heat won’t be lost as blood circulates to the head.
2. Upper back
Yang energy plays a leading role in good blood circulation. “The back is most related to the body’s yang energy, and its impact is second only to the head,” said Ye Yanduan. The reason lies in the fact that both the Du Meridian and bladder meridians go from the head to the back.
The Du Meridian is known as the “Sea of yang channels,” which means that the back is the reservoir of yang energy, managing the yang energy of the whole body. Any deficit in the body of yang energy is managed by the Du Meridian, which will deliver that area the needed yang energy.
3. Stomach
Keeping your stomach or lower abdomen warm will also keep your whole body warm. In TCM, the abdomen acts as the source of the body’s energy because the vital acupuncture points related to the energies of Shenxian, Qihai, and Guanyuan are here.
According to Ye Yanduan, the lower abdomen should be warm when you touch it. While performing acupuncture on patients with dysmenorrhea and infertility, she finds that their lower abdomens are cold. If you can regulate your body and prevent your stomach from getting cold, you will have enough energy to keep warm.
4. Soles of the feet
The Yongquan Point at the bottom of the foot is the starting point of the Kidney Meridian, and the Kidney energy (Qi) is the root of all energy of the body. When your bare feet touch the cold floor, the cold will enter the body through the soles of the feet causing you to feel cold through the feet. It is necessary to wear socks to protect the warmth of the feet in cold weather.
Translated by Jean Chen and edited by Helen
