People should be cautious about consuming iced drinks, ice or staying too long in air-conditioned environments, as traditional Chinese medicine theory says that it might hinder the body’s ability to expel summer heat, a Taipei-based traditional Chinese medicine practitioner said.
As of Saturday, there have been more than 379 cases of heat injuries since June 1, Ministry of Health and Welfare data showed.
Lee Ho-chen (李和蓁), a practitioner at the Taipei Fertility Center’s Songren Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Chinese Medicine Clinic, said that while drinking some iced or cool beverages during the summer is not entirely off-limits, people should choose drinks that help balance the body’s yin (陰) energies and reduce internal heat.
Photo: CNA
Lee recommended bitter gourd, lotus plumule, smoked plum, hawthorn and lemon as beverages that can help shed heat, increase salivation and stimulate the appetite.
She also suggested Chinese herbal tea, mesona tea and watermelon juice as suitable drinks to alleviate the summer heat, but advised limiting consumption to one glass per day, preferably consumed at high noon. Consuming such drinks in the afternoon or evening, when the body has already cooled down, would make it harder for the body to process them, the practitioner said, adding that overconsumption of such beverages might be particularly problematic for people already experiencing diarrhea or stomach discomfort.
Lee also cited an increase of “air-conditioning sickness,” which includes vertigo, headaches, weakness, lack of appetite and cold-like symptoms without respiratory issues.
The body’s ability to regulate heat is easily disrupted when transitioning frequently between air-conditioned rooms and non-air-conditioned spaces with a temperature difference of 5°C or more, she said.
According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, this could result in the accumulation of summer heat within the body, which cannot be expelled through sweating, potentially leading to heat stroke, she added.
To minimize the temperature differences and reduce the risk of air-conditioning sickness, Lee recommended wearing light jackets and drinking warm water when moving between air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned spaces.
Sweating is the body’s natural way of regulating heat, she said, adding that people should exercise outdoors for 30 minutes at a time, three to five times a week, to encourage the body to sweat and naturally expel heat.
The ministry has advised wearing light-colored, thin clothing, setting air-conditioners to 26°C to 28°C, and seeking shade when outdoors, adding that people should rehydrate regularly and refrain from alcohol and sweet drinks.
People should be vigilant for symptoms of heat exhaustion, avoid outdoor activities between 10am and 2pm, and assist those experiencing heat exhaustion by reducing heat and rehydrating them, while seeking emergency help, it said.
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