Article 48: Health Preservation in Old Age: Key Points of Diet, Daily Life, and Exercise

(2) A light diet is recommended: Elderly people often have weak spleens and stomachs, resulting in poor digestion and absorption. Therefore, their diet should be light. They should eat more fish, lean meat, legumes, and fresh fruits and vegetables, and avoid heavily seasoned, fatty, or overly salty foods. Animal fats and high-cholesterol foods should be limited, while vegetable oils should be consumed more frequently. Modern nutrition science suggests that the diet of the elderly should be "more of three things and less of three things," namely, more protein, more vitamins, more fiber, and less sugar, less fat, and less salt, which perfectly aligns with the principle of a light diet.

(3) Food should be warm and soft: The yang energy of the elderly declines day by day, and the spleen prefers warmth and dislikes cold. Therefore, it is advisable to eat warm foods to warm the spleen and avoid or eat less raw and cold foods to avoid damaging the spleen and stomach. However, it is also not advisable to eat foods that are too hot, so that they are "not too hot to burn the lips and not too cold to make the teeth shake". The elderly have weak spleen and stomach, loose teeth and difficulty in chewing. Therefore, they should eat soft foods and avoid sticky, hard and difficult-to-digest foods. Porridge is not only easy to digest, but also benefits the stomach and promotes the production of body fluids, which is especially suitable for the elderly. Therefore, Li Ting, a physician in the Ming Dynasty, advocated that porridge is the most suitable food for the elderly. Lu You, a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, lived to the age of 85. His poem "Eating Porridge" says: "Everyone in the world learns to live a long life, but they do not know that longevity is right in front of them. I have obtained the simple method of Wanqiu, which is to eat porridge to become an immortal."

(4) Eat slowly and in small portions: The elderly should eat slowly and in small portions. The book "New Book on Longevity and Elderly Care" emphasizes that "elderly people should not eat a full meal at once, but should eat frequently so that the spleen and stomach can easily digest the food and retain its essence." They should also not eat too quickly or too fast, but should chew slowly. This not only helps with the digestion and absorption of food, but also avoids choking, coughing, and gagging.

3. Maintain a regular daily routine and arrange your life carefully.

Elderly people often suffer from qi and blood deficiency and weakened defensive qi, making them susceptible to external pathogens. Therefore, they should carefully regulate their daily lives. The "New Book on Longevity and Elderly Care" points out that "all aspects of life, including walking, standing, sitting, lying down, dining, and living, must be carefully regulated." The daily lives of the elderly should be reasonable and appropriate, conforming to their physiological characteristics.

The ideal living environment for the elderly is one that is quiet, clean, well-ventilated, sunny, with suitable humidity, and convenient for daily life.

For the elderly, maintaining a regular daily routine is crucial. First, ensure good sleep, ideally going to bed early and waking up early, preferably lying on your right side. Avoid drafts and frostbite, but avoid sleeping with your head covered. Second, dress appropriately for the weather, adding or removing clothing as needed according to seasonal changes, paying attention to keeping the chest, back, legs, waist, and feet warm. Finally, sexual activity should decrease with age. The elderly and frail should abstain from sexual activity altogether, sleeping alone; those with strong constitutions and sexual desire should not suppress it, but should exercise moderation.

As the body functions of older adults gradually decline, they are more prone to fatigue, and therefore should pay particular attention to balancing work and rest. They should do as much physical or mental work as they can, but avoid overexertion.

Elderly people should maintain good hygiene habits. Wash their face frequently, comb their hair regularly, and rinse their mouth in the morning and evening. Soak their feet in hot water before going to bed. They should defecate regularly to ensure smooth bowel movements and prevent the development or aggravation of existing diseases due to abnormal bowel and bladder function.

4. Exercise to regulate Qi and blood.

Elderly people often experience a decline in vital energy and blood circulation, leading to stagnation and blood stasis. Active and moderate physical exercise can harmonize vital energy and blood, strengthen the body, and promote longevity.

Exercise for the elderly should follow the principles of individualized approach, appropriate timing and intensity, gradual progression, and perseverance. Before starting any exercise program, a comprehensive medical examination is necessary to understand the individual's health status and any serious illnesses. Under the guidance of a doctor, choose suitable exercise programs and carefully manage the intensity, speed, and duration of the exercise. Generally, the amount of exercise should be small rather than large, and the movements should be slow and rhythmic. Suitable exercises include Tai Chi, Five Animal Frolics, Eight Pieces of Brocade, jogging, walking, swimming, table tennis, badminton, senior gymnastics, and Qigong. Exercise should be within one's limits, avoiding competitiveness and excessive tension or excitement. The best time to exercise is after sunrise in the morning, and in the evening, it can be scheduled one and a half hours after dinner, generally 1-2 times a day. Avoid exercising in inclement weather to prevent adverse consequences. For example, avoid exercising under the scorching sun during the hot summer months to prevent heatstroke or cerebrovascular accidents; when exercising outdoors in winter, wait until after sunrise, take precautions against the cold and keep warm, and be careful to prevent falls; it is not advisable to go out in windy, rainy, or foggy weather, and it is not advisable to exercise on an empty stomach or after a full meal.

In addition, the elderly should learn self-monitoring skills. If they find any abnormalities in their body, they should seek medical attention promptly and ask a doctor for appropriate treatment.

5. Correcting imbalances and remedying deficiencies, and using drugs rationally.

Due to physiological degenerative changes and declining bodily functions, the following principles should be followed when using medication for treatment or health maintenance in the elderly: use more tonifying herbs and fewer purgatives; use mild medicines in small doses; focus on the spleen and kidneys while also considering the five internal organs; differentiate tonification based on individual constitution and adjust yin and yang; adjust medications regularly according to the season; and combine medicine with food to protect the spleen and stomach. Only through such rational use of medication can one achieve the effects of correcting imbalances, strengthening the body, preventing disease, and prolonging life.

Health preservation for different genders

In general, there are no major differences in health preservation between men and women; general health preservation principles are applicable to both genders. However, there are indeed differences between the sexes in certain aspects, the most obvious being the structure of their reproductive organs, secondary sexual characteristics and the resulting physiological and pathological changes, as well as differences in mental and emotional states. Therefore, appropriate health preservation methods and measures should be adopted in response to these differences between the sexes.

I. Men's Health

(I) Physiological and psychological characteristics

Physiologically, men are considered to possess a masculine quality, with semen as their foundation. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that men inherit the yang energy of nature, while women inherit the yin energy; hence, men are yang, and women are yin. Therefore, physiologically, men are in a relatively yang-dominant and yin-deficient state, exhibiting a "masculine energy," which determines their characteristics of being brave, competitive, and active. Semen and blood are essential substances for human life; relatively speaking, men rely primarily on semen, while women rely primarily on blood. Because men consume a considerable amount of semen during sexual activity, if they cannot control their desires, they are prone to semen depletion and low semen count.

Men generally possess a decisive and resolute character, are bold in thought and action, and are efficient in their work. They are broad-minded, honest, generous, emotionally robust, and have a strong drive for success. They exhibit a relatively strong competitive spirit and self-esteem in social interactions, family life, and career. However, compared to women, they are more strong but less flexible, have relatively weaker self-control in handling matters, and are more prone to emotional fluctuations such as excitement and irritability.

(II) Key Points of Health Preservation

The Ming Dynasty scholar Wan Quan's "Essentials of Fertility" states that "men's health depends primarily on their essence," and the "Suwen: On the Primordial Innocence of Antiquity" also considers kidney essence to be crucial for men's health. Therefore, for men, especially middle-aged and elderly men, maintaining health and wellness should focus on protecting their kidney essence.

Men's health and wellness, in terms of gender characteristics, mainly includes the following three points:

1. Drink alcohol in moderation and quit smoking.

Men have more opportunities to drink alcohol. While alcohol has some health benefits, excessive drinking has many drawbacks; therefore, it's important to drink in moderation. For example, alcohol can increase the risk of gastroenteritis, ulcers, liver cancer, oral cancer, and throat cancer. It can also raise blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease or myocardial infarction.

Smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases. Therefore, it is best not to smoke, and smokers should quit. If quitting is not possible immediately, one should eat more carrots, onions, garlic, spinach, and orange-yellow fruits, eat more fish, and drink tea regularly to reduce the harm caused by smoking.

2. Practice moderation in sexual activity to preserve essence, and regulate the spirit to nourish essence.

The "essence" in the concept of "conserving essence through abstinence" refers to essence in a narrow sense. Abstinence means exercising restraint over sexual desire. Sexual desire is a normal physiological need for both men and women; it should not be completely eliminated or forbidden, but rather moderated. The true meaning of abstinence is to avoid both absolute abstinence and excessive indulgence. Male kidney essence depletion is often caused by excessive sexual activity. Abstinence can prevent excessive leakage of semen, maintaining a rich and abundant essence, which is beneficial to the health of the kidneys and other organs. Middle-aged and elderly men often experience kidney essence depletion, so abstinence to preserve essence is especially important for them, contributing to physical health and longevity.

In the concept of "nourishing essence and regulating spirit," the "essence" refers to essence in a broad sense. Essence originates from the kidneys (congenital essence), is nourished by the spleen and stomach (acquired essence), and is stored in the five internal organs. Essence is also the foundation of spirit. Essence nourishes spirit, and spirit controls essence; accumulating essence can preserve spirit, and calming spirit can preserve essence. Therefore, if a man pays attention to mental and emotional regulation, avoiding extremes, the five internal organs will naturally be in harmony, essence will naturally be abundant, kidney essence will also be abundant, and the foundation of life will be strong. If the mind is restless, the spirit wanders outward, or there is excessive thinking or unfulfilled desires, the five internal organs will be disordered, essence will not be stored, and essence will easily be lost or depleted, shaking the foundation of life.

3. It can be used both as medicine and food, to tonify the kidneys and strengthen essence.

Kidney deficiency and spermatorrhea in middle-aged and elderly men can be caused by both excessive sexual activity and premature ejaculation, as well as by the general decline in kidney function due to age. The key to treatment lies in tonifying the kidneys and consolidating sperm. Kidney deficiency and spermatorrhea can be treated with both medication and diet. As the saying goes, "food therapy is worse than medication," therefore, foods that can be used as both medicine and food are most suitable. Examples of such foods include yam, fox nuts, ginkgo nuts, lotus seeds, cypress seeds, wolfberries, black sesame seeds, alpinia oxyphylla, raspberries, and cistanche deserticola; ingredients such as sea cucumber, mussels, chicken, pork kidneys, pork marrow, sheep kidneys, dog meat, shrimp, silkworm pupae, and animal penises; and medicinal herbs such as placenta, deer antler glue, rosehip, prepared he shou wu, rehmannia root, cynomorium, and cordyceps. These are commonly used to tonify the kidneys, generate sperm, and consolidate sperm, and are suitable for treating conditions such as insufficient kidney essence, premature ejaculation, and spermatorrhea.