FEATURE

AUTHUR_Yan Lam

PHOTOS_Panda Lei

The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus has taught us some life lessons, and at the same time, it has invariably changed our daily habits. Health is the only carrier in the voyage through the ‘River of Life’, and it is meaningless to talk about the future without a healthy body. There is a trove of explicit knowledge in books about wellbeing and health regimens which, after being consolidated and circulated by experts, have become more adaptable, useful and effective. When we realise the significance of wellbeing, we should relentlessly absorb such knowledge like a sponge does with water, strengthening our body’s constitution based on the theories of traditional Chinese medicine and embracing the future through scientific solutions.

As Lu You, a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty put it: “Pleasure in reading can bring youth to the body”. Reading is not only a necessity for deepening our knowledge of wellbeing, but also acts as a seasoning to lighten your mind. In the Feature of this issue, a local Chinese medicine practitioner, a dietitian and a physiotherapist are invited to share several tips for boosting the immune system, helping readers to build up physical strength through reading.

Macao-registered Chinese medicine practitioner, Cheong Weng Heng

Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes maintaining health in all seasons rather than blindly taking supplements. What is the best way to preserve health during the transition from Spring to Summer? Let’s listen to the advice from the Macao-registered Chinese medicine practitioner, Dr Cheong Weng Heng.

Dr Cheong noted that in springtime children can easily catch spring-warmth (Chun wen), which is a seasonal illness with no apparent symptoms except for a slight fever. In this situation, we can cool down and clear the patient’s hectic heat with the Three-Bean Drink, which is easy to make. Take a small amount of black beans, mung beans and soybeans, soak them, boil them in water for two hours and add some rock sugar to finish. It is worth noting that this drink is not recommended for people who are allergic to beans or high purine food, or are showing symptoms such as abdominal distension or loose stools. Furthermore, many people are prone to a sore throat and dry eyes during this season, which causes the body’s internal heat to accumulate easily. For such cases, mulberry chrysanthemum herbal tea is recommended because it clears the liver, dissipates heat and improves eye conditions; being neutral in nature, it is a suitable remedy for adults and children alike.

Three-Bean Drink Ingredients: black beans, mung beans, soybeans

Three ingredients of mulberry chrysanthemum herbal tea: common selfheal, mulberry leaf and chrysanthemum flower

Guangdong people like drinking Chinese herbal tea as they believe it is a good way to preserve health. Dr Cheong pointed out that this is incorrect, as herbal tea is only for patients with physical symptoms. People showing no signs of illness should not drink herbal tea often, otherwise it will harm their health. Moreover, people should not blindly believe in ‘alternative prescriptions’ circulated on the Internet. Since each individual’s constitution is different, patients may suffer worse physical conditions if they take in supplements before making a full recovery. Herbal tea should not be consumed frequently, but the Eight Section Brocade (Ba Duan Jin) can be performed regularly for fitness training. Dr Cheong recommends practising the Eight Section Brocade as the movements are simple. Frequent practice of this Chinese exercise can help stretch muscles and regulate breathing, thus improving the circulatory system. There is no harm for the people to exercise more.

Besides, spring is the season that is prone to trigger mood disorders, especially when most people still fear the recent Covid-19 outbreak. Dr Cheong notes that anyone feeling emotionally unstable is recommended to consult a physician and treat the condition with traditional Chinese medicine that disperses and relieves qi stagnation of the liver, thereby improving mental health. Meanwhile, one should try to maintain a positive mood, avoid excessive anxiety and maintain a healthy lifestyle with adequate exercise; these are the best ways to prevent disease and maintain good health.

Parris Fok, President of Macau Professional Nutritionist Association and registered aromatherapist with the IFA Professional Aromatherapy Diploma

Simply achieving a balanced diet in daily life can help people maintain good health. Parris Fok introduces a variety of nutrients that can be found in common ingredients, which contribute to maintaining good physical health.

β-Carotene helps to maintain and repair the function of the mucous membrane in the respiratory passages, which hinders bacteria or viruses from invading the system. It is usually found in red-orange or dark green foods, such as carrots, papayas, pumpkins, and broccoli, to name a few. As β-Carotene is a fat-soluble pigment, it is recommended to be served together with other ingredients containing fat for better absorption. For instance, making soup with carrot and lean pork or stir-frying the two ingredients together can help the degree of absorption.

Garlic and onion are ingredients that can effectively boost the immune system. Garlic contains allicin which has a pungent smell and serves as a biocide. The amount of allicin in raw garlic is greater than in cooked garlic. Normally, people may eat one or two cloves of raw garlic once or twice each week. Do not forget to chop the garlic and chew a little longer before swallowing it, which also helps to kill bacteria inside the mouth. Onion is another common ingredient that should be consumed more often. The epidermis of onion contains a rich amount of quercetin, an antioxidant which can reduce the risk of pulmonary fibrosis. It can also help soothe skin allergies, allergic rhinitis and tracheal discomfort.

Parris says that in recent years, using essential oils as a way of strengthening the immune system has become popular. Not only can essential oils relieve stress they also purify the air. For example, ravintsara, cedarwood and frankincense can restrain the propagation of most Staphylococcus aureus in the air and are good for people with a sensitive respiratory system. People who catch a cold may put several drops of fragonia and eucalyptus globulus into a cup of hot water and inhale the vapour, which can relieve a stuffy or runny nose.

*Note: Each individual has a different constitution, so please consult a qualified doctor or dietitian before consuming the abovementioned foods or using any essential oils.

A lack of exercise for a prolonged period of time will lead to a decline in cardiopulmonary function and muscular endurance. Leo Lai, a physiotherapist and member of the Macau Physical Therapists Association, will teach three sets of simple exercises that can be done at home. Let’s move our body together.

1-Warm-Ups and Breathing

Abdominal breathing: 20 times Stand up straight with one hand placed on the chest and the other on the belly. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth while feeling the movement of your belly.

Chest expansion: 30 times Make your hands into a fist and raise your arms horizontally in front of your chest. Extend your arms outwardly to expand your chest muscles, while marching at a stable speed on the same spot.

2- Dynamic Stretching

Knee-elbow stretching: 20 times each side Stand up straight. Raise your left knee to touch the right elbow, then raise your right arm over your head while extending your left leg backward as far as possible.

Chest stretching: 20 times Bend your elbows and raise them until they are in a horizontal line with your shoulders. Pull your shoulders backward and return to the starting position, then straighten your arms and pull them backward.

3- Physical Fitness Training for Seniors

Half-squat and stand: 20 times Stand up straight. Stabilise your body with the help of a chair or a wall. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and squat down slowly and steadily.

Tiptoe and heel lift: 20 times per leg Stand up straight and hold the back of a chair. Raise the heels of both feet until you stand on the tips of your toes, lower your heels back to the floor, and lift the toes up until you stand on your heels.

Note:

*All exercises should be done according to your own physical conditions; stop exercising if you experience discomfort.

*If you have or had any health issues, please consult a qualified physical therapist before exercising.

To help strengthen your immune system, apart from sharing the experts’ suggestions on a health regimen, healthy diet and exercise, we also selected some books on healthy living from the library’s collection and its Online Reading Platform.

Electronic Resource “HyRead ebook”

How to use:

Readers in Macao may access the electronic resource “HyRead ebook” and read e-books online by either visiting the Online Reading Platform on the Macao Public Library website or downloading the mobile application. Only those who wish to borrow or read e-books offline are required to log in with their Macao Public Library username and password. A maximum of five e-books and three e-magazines can be borrowed at one time for a period of seven days and two days respectively. Checked-out e-books may be renewed one additional time, but e-magazines cannot. Items which have not been returned on the due date will be automatically checked in by the system, and there is no overdue charges. Readers may also reserve five e-books and five e-magazines through the system.