Chapter Twenty-Four: Dressing in Accordance with the Seasons and Moderation in Sexual Activity, Conserving Essence Through Restraint

III. Adapting to the Four Seasons

Most parts of my country have four distinct seasons, so clothing should reflect these seasonal changes.

(I) Spring and Autumn Clothing

Spring and autumn have mild climates, and there is a wide range of clothing options available.

Since spring is windy and autumn is dry, it is better to choose fabrics with moderate breathability and moisture absorption when making clothes.

Chemical fiber textiles have lower breathability and moisture absorption than cotton but higher than silk, making them ideal for spring and autumn clothing. They are also durable, crisp, and brightly colored.

Some synthetic fibers have certain medical effects on the human body. For example, clothing made of chlorofiber has poor conductivity. When worn and rubbed against the skin, it generates and accumulates a considerable amount of static electricity. This static electricity can have a mild, electrotherapy-like effect on the joints of the human body.

However, because chemical fibers contain other substances during the production process, they can sometimes cause adverse skin irritation. This can be avoided by changing clothes frequently.

(II) Summer Clothing

Summer weather is hot, so summer clothing should be light, thin, soft, and light-colored, and should have good breathability, moisture absorption, and moisture dissipation to help the body dissipate heat and sweat.

Clothing with poor moisture absorption or an overly smooth lining will not be able to absorb and evaporate sweat in time, causing people to sweat profusely and feel stuffy and uncomfortable.

Therefore, summer clothing is best made of rayon, silk, linen, and cotton knitwear.

Even though the summer sun is intense, it is still necessary to wear clothes to protect the chest and back.

The book "Lao Lao Heng Yan" (Old Man's Constant Sayings) states in the section on clothing: "Even in the hottest summer, one must wear a short-sleeved shirt made of hemp cloth to protect the chest and back." This means that people should at least wear something like a vest or short-sleeved shirt, which is especially important for the weak and the elderly.

(III) Winter Clothing

In the cold winter, clothing should be made of dark-colored fabrics that are thick, have good insulation properties, and are not very breathable to achieve the effect of keeping warm.

As living standards continue to improve, people are gradually replacing cotton with down, silk, and artificial wool, which are soft, lightweight, and have good heat retention.

In addition, hats, shoes, socks, scarves, and other items should be selected appropriately according to the characteristics of the four seasons.

IV. Additions and Reductions: Dos and Don'ts

Clothing should be added to or removed as the seasons and weather change.

(I) Increases and decreases with the four seasons

Since each season has its own unique climate characteristics, clothing should be adjusted accordingly, with some items added and others removed.

The book "Lao Lao Heng Yan: Yan Ju" says: "When the spring ice has not yet melted, the lower body should be kept warm, while the upper body can be kept slightly cool, so as to nourish the vital energy of Yang."

Sun Simiao's "Sun Zhenren's Hygiene Song" says: "In the spring chill, do not wear thin cotton clothes; in the summer heat, when you sweat a lot, you need to change your clothes."

As autumn deepens and the weather grows colder, don't wait until an illness has been prevalent before taking medicine.

It is said that in spring, the coldness has not yet completely dissipated, and the yang energy is gradually rising. It is important to keep warm. In early spring, it is advisable to wear fewer clothes but not fewer pants to help the yang energy rise.

In summer, the sun's heat is intense, and people sweat a lot, so it's advisable to change clothes frequently.

As the weather cools down in autumn, it's important to add layers, but avoid adding too many layers at once.

There is a folk saying, "Keep warm in spring and cool in autumn," which means that it is better to keep things slightly warm in spring and slightly cool in autumn.

Qiu Chuji of the Yuan Dynasty wrote in "On Nourishing Life in Spring" that "the weather in spring is unpredictable, so one should not immediately remove one's cotton-padded clothes."

Elderly people are weak and frail, and easily injured by wind and cold. They should always carry a light jacket to keep warm.

"Remove layers one by one, do not remove them all at once." In winter, "add cotton clothes only when it is very cold, and gradually increase the thickness. Do not add more clothes all at once, just enough to avoid getting cold."

(ii) Dressing and removing clothes according to the weather

Zhang Yuchu of the Ming Dynasty wrote in "Peng Zu's Treatise on Nourishing Life and Cultivating Nature" that "clothes should be put on and taken off in time according to the weather when it is cold, and clothes should be taken off in time when it is hot."

When putting on or taking off clothes according to changes in the weather, do not do so hastily, as the temperature may fluctuate between hot and cold.

The book "Lao Lao Heng Yan: Yan Ju" says, "One should not add cotton clothes all at once, but take them off again when it gets a little warm."

The ancients also recognized that clothing should not be too warm or too cold, otherwise it would be easy to be susceptible to illness.

If clothing is too warm or too cold, the body will lack the ability to tolerate wind-cold or wind-heat, thus weakening its ability to resist pathogens and prevent disease.

As for the elderly and those with weak constitutions, they have a lower tolerance for cold and heat, so they should be careful when dressing and removing their clothes to avoid being affected by wind, cold, heat, and dampness.

In addition, after sweating, special attention should be paid to the following two points when putting on and taking off clothes: First, avoid taking off clothes in the wind when sweating profusely. This is because when sweating profusely, the body's pores are open and sweat glands are open. Suddenly taking off clothes can easily lead to the invasion of wind and cold pathogens and cause illness. Second, do not wear sweaty clothes for a long time. This is because sweaty clothes are not easy to dry after sweating, which can damage the body's yang energy. After sweating, the pores are open and sweat and dampness remain on the skin, which can easily lead to diseases such as wind-cold-dampness syndrome.

Moderation in sexual activity

Sexual intercourse, also known as bedroom, refers to sexual activity.

Sexual activity is a human instinct and an important part of human life.

Sexual activity should be conducted in moderation, meaning that sexual life should follow certain rules. This involves adopting controlled and healthy sexual behavior based on the physiological characteristics of the human body and the laws of life, in order to prevent disease, maintain health, improve quality of life, and ultimately achieve the goal of health and longevity.

Moderation in sexual activity is an important principle and method of health preservation, which specifically includes two aspects: abstinence in sexual activity and taboos related to sexual activity.

I. Sexual abstinence

"Conserving one's essence through moderation in sexual activity" is one of the fundamental principles of health preservation in traditional Chinese medicine.

Throughout history and across cultures, there have been three main viewpoints and schools of thought regarding sex: abstinence, indulgence, and moderation.

The former two approaches, taken to extremes, are not advisable; while "abstinence" dialectically proposes moderation and moderation in sexual life, which is of great significance for health and longevity.

As the ancients said, "The art of the bedroom can bring life or it can kill, just like water and fire. Those who know how to use it can nourish their lives; those who do not know how to use it will die instantly."

This serves as a warning to the world that sexual activity should be practiced in moderation.

(I) The health benefits of abstinence from sexual activity

Sexual abstinence to preserve essence is an important aspect of anti-aging and longevity prevention, which can be found in ancient medical books. For example, the "Suwen·Shanggu Tianzhen Lun" says: "Exhausting one's essence with desire and dissipating one's true essence...this is why one declines at fifty."

Tao Hongjing of the Southern Dynasties wrote in "Record of Nourishing Nature and Prolonging Life": "Those who are strong and have moderation in their speech and actions will be strong and live long."

Zhang Zhongjing of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote in "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber": "Do not let sexual intercourse become excessive... do not neglect the decline of the body, so that disease will have no way to enter the skin and muscles."

The kidneys store essence, which is the foundation of innate constitution. When kidney essence is abundant, all five internal organs are vigorous, disease resistance is strong, the body is strong, and health and longevity are achieved.

Conversely, if kidney essence is deficient, the five internal organs will weaken, leading to illness and premature death.

Abstinence and preserving sperm quality are especially important for middle-aged and elderly people.

The "Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces - Sexual Health Supplements" states: "Those over forty years of age should constantly preserve their essence and nourish their vital energy to prevent depletion, thus avoiding aging."

Surveys of centenarians both domestically and internationally show that most of them practice strict and regular moderation in their sexual activity, indicating that abstinence and sperm conservation have a positive effect on health and longevity.

Traditional Chinese medicine has always believed that excessive sexual activity and overwork are important causes of disease.

The Records of the Grand Historian, Biography of Cang Gong, records 25 cases, of which 8 cases were caused by "internal" factors, namely sexual overexertion.

Excessive loss of semen, or lack of knowledge of proper methods, or violation of taboos, will inevitably deplete one's vital energy and weaken one's constitution, leading to a host of illnesses.

Clinically, people who engage in excessive sexual activity often experience symptoms such as lower back and knee pain, dizziness and tinnitus, forgetfulness and fatigue, sallow complexion, frequent urination, impotence, seminal emission, and premature ejaculation in men, and menstrual irregularities, cold uterus and leukorrhea in women.

Western medical research suggests that semen contains a large amount of important substances such as prostaglandins, proteins, and zinc.

Excessive sexual activity can lead to the loss of many vital elements, causing pathological changes in multiple systems and organs and accelerating aging.

In addition, sperm and sex hormones are produced by the testes. Excessive loss of sperm can reduce the function of the anterior pituitary gland, increase the burden on the testes, and inhibit the secretion of the anterior pituitary gland due to "feedback effect," leading to testicular atrophy and thus accelerating the aging process.

This fully demonstrates that the traditional view that "indulging in sex ages people prematurely and sexual activity shortens life" has some merit.

(II) Health Preservation Methods of Sexual Abstinence

1. Moderate sexual activity

Sexual activity is necessary, but it should not be excessive; moderation is key.

The term "degree" mainly refers to the frequency of sexual activity. Generally speaking, the number of normal sexual encounters should gradually decrease with age, but "degree" is not an absolute concept.

For example, the "Su Nu Jing" states: "A person aged twenty should ejaculate once every four days; a person aged thirty should ejaculate once every eight days; a person aged forty should ejaculate once every sixteen days; a person aged fifty should ejaculate once every twenty-one days; and a person aged sixty should stop ejaculating and not ejaculate again."

If one is still physically strong, one ejaculation per month.

Even those who possess extraordinary strength should not suppress it; if they do not release it for a long time, it will lead to boils and carbuncles.

If a man is over sixty years old and has not been able to have sexual intercourse for several weeks, and his desire is lukewarm, he may abstain from ejaculation.

Western medicine believes that there is no uniform standard or prescribed limit on the number of sexual encounters. It is advisable to be flexible and differentiated based on individual differences in sexual life, as well as age, physical condition, occupation, and other factors.

The principle of moderate sexual activity is to ensure that one does not feel tired the next day, feels physically and mentally comfortable, is in a good mood, and has high efficiency in life and work.

If you experience lower back pain, fatigue, and low work and life efficiency, it indicates excessive indulgence in sexual activity, and you should adjust and moderate your lifestyle.

For young adults, sexual activity must be moderate and not indulgent; for the elderly, even less is better.

2. Encourage sleeping alone

Ancient health practitioners regarded sleeping alone as an important measure for moderating sexual activity and maintaining health.

Sun Simiao's "Supplement to the Thousand Golden Prescriptions" quotes Peng Zu as saying: "The superior man sleeps in a separate bed, the average man in a different blanket; even if you take a hundred doses of medicine, it is not as good as sleeping alone."

In his "Inscription on Nourishing Life by Master Sun", he also mentioned: "In autumn and winter, it is important to strengthen Yang; lying alone is the way to preserve one's true nature."

Ancient people believed that sleeping alone could calm the mind, keep the senses free from distractions, make it easier to control desires, and was beneficial for sexual health. Hence, there is a saying among the people that "middle-aged people should use different blankets and elderly people should use different beds."

Elderly people who indulge in excessive sexual activity often suffer from various illnesses and rarely live long lives. Therefore, Zhao Xianke of the Ming Dynasty, in his "On Moderation of Desire," urged the elderly to "quickly distance themselves from the bedroom and abstain from all desires."

Some people recovering from chronic diseases should also adopt the method of sleeping alone to maintain health, abstain from sexual activity, and nourish their essence and blood in order to recover as soon as possible.