I. Spring Health Maintenance: Don’t Miss the Seasonal Adjustment

In spring, everything comes back to life, and the body’s yang energy also begins to rise in accordance with natural laws. At this time, if one can adjust according to the changes in the seasons, it not only helps prevent diseases but also lays a solid foundation for health throughout the year. However, the spring climate is changeable, and improper adjustment can easily lead to various discomforts. The following will explore common spring issues and their traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) adjustment methods through several real cases.

II. Case Analysis: Common Spring Issues and Solutions

Case One: Abnormal Appetite in Spring – Liver Qi Dispersion and Spleen-Stomach Adjustment

Case Description:

A mother in her 30s, who had overworked in her 20s leading to severe physical exhaustion and a pulse indicating yang deficiency, recently noticed an improved appetite. However, this “improvement” was not normal; it manifested as a desire to eat around 10 PM before sleep.

TCM Analysis:

1. The liver governs the generation of qi throughout the body. In spring, the liver qi rises, mobilizing kidney qi, and the function of the spleen and stomach strengthens, resulting in an improved appetite.
2. However, the dispersion of liver qi should follow natural laws. If it is too excessive, it can lead to abnormal spleen and stomach functions, manifesting as not feeling hungry when one should and feeling hungry when one shouldn’t.
3. This mother’s excessive liver qi led to disordered spleen and stomach functions, manifesting as hunger before sleep.
4. A white and greasy tongue coating indicates the presence of cold-dampness in the body, with insufficient spleen and stomach transformation functions.

The coating in the middle of her tongue is very white and greasy, much more so than the surrounding areas.

Solution:

• Restrain Liver Qi Dispersion: One can take Ume Plum and White Sugar Soup, as Ume Plum has the effect of restraining liver qi, preventing excessive dispersion.
• Supplement Kidney to Assist Liver: Insufficient kidney qi can affect liver qi dispersion. One can take kidney-supplementing medications like Liuwei Dihuang Pills to help with normal liver qi dispersion.
• Adjust Spleen and Stomach: Take Huoxiang Zhengqi Pills to expel cold-dampness from the body and restore normal spleen and stomach transformation functions.

Extended Reflection:

• Hunger before sleep in children requires differential analysis: If the tongue coating is greasy and there is significant internal heat, with undigested food, the spleen and stomach need adjustment. If the tongue coating is clean, with much daytime activity and fast digestion, hunger before sleep is normal, and easily digestible foods like porridge and noodles can be consumed.

Case Two: Gastrointestinal Discomfort in Spring – Differentiating and Treating Cold-Dampness and Damp-Heat

Case Description:

A man in his 30s experienced vomiting, diarrhea, and headache. His tongue coating was thick and yellow along the central line from the back to the front of the tongue, with a slightly red tongue body.

His tongue coating along the central line from the back to the front is thicker and greasier than the surrounding areas, and it is slightly yellow, not pure white, which is a clear contrast to the previous tongue coating.

TCM Analysis:

• Differential Diagnosis:
  • ①. A yellow and greasy tongue coating indicates damp-heat, not cold-dampness. ②. A slightly red tongue body indicates internal heat. ③. The symptoms are not caused by catching a cold but by improper diet.
• Medication Analysis:
  • ☆Huoxiang Zhengqi Pills are suitable for cold-dampness syndromes and less effective for damp-heat syndromes. The cold-dispelling herbs in it may exacerbate the symptoms. ☆Xiao Chaihu Granules can harmonize the Shaoyang, soothe the liver, regulate qi, clear heat, and expel dampness, making them more suitable for this patient.

Medication Recommendation:

• For damp-heat colds, Xiao Chaihu Granules or Xiao’er Chaigui Retong Granules can be chosen. For this patient with gastrointestinal damp-heat syndrome, Xiao Chaihu Granules are recommended.

From the tongue coating, it can be seen that his problem is caused by diet, not by catching a cold. Check if the tongue is wet or dry; if the tongue is extended and clearly covered with water, reflecting light or even dripping, it indicates catching a cold; if the tongue is dry, it is not due to a cold.

Extended Reflection:

• Differentiating Cold-Dampness and Damp-Heat:
  • ☆A white and greasy tongue coating, with a wet and slippery tongue, indicates cold-dampness. ☆A yellow and greasy tongue coating, with a dry tongue, indicates damp-heat. ☆When catching a cold, the tongue surface is wet and slippery; when not catching a cold, the tongue surface is dry and comfortable.
• Dietary Precautions:
  • Avoid consuming cold foods like water chestnuts. If consumed, one can alleviate the cold nature through moxibustion or by adding ginger to the diet.

Case Three: Insomnia in Spring – Spleen and Stomach Adjustment is Key

Case Description:

An adult has been suffering from insomnia since the New Year, accompanied by nasal congestion, with little effect from the prescribed formula.

TCM Analysis:

His tongue coating is white, indicating heavy cold-dampness.

• Medication Analysis:
  • Taking Huoxiang Zhengqi Pills to expel cold-dampness, clear the middle jiao spleen and stomach, and allow the qi to circulate normally, thereby improving sleep.

TCM Principles:

• TCM believes that the spleen and stomach are the foundation of acquired constitution and the source of qi and blood. The normal function of the spleen and stomach directly affects the circulation of qi throughout the body.
• Disordered spleen and stomach functions can prevent the upper jiao heart and lungs from communicating normally with the lower jiao kidney qi, leading to insomnia.

Case Four: Complex Tongue Coating Case – Comprehensive Adjustment of Spleen, Stomach, and Intestines

Case Description:

Fly Sister’s tongue coating shows white in the middle, red at the tip, a dark tongue body near the tip in the middle jiao, and a patch of white and greasy coating near the root in the lower jiao. She also has pimples on her nose wings, a foreign body sensation in her throat, and snoring during sleep.

Dividing the tongue into upper, middle, and lower jiao, the tip represents the upper jiao, the middle represents the middle jiao, and the root represents the lower jiao. The dark color near the tip in the middle jiao is due to consuming water chestnuts, passion fruit, and green tangerines. The patch of white and greasy coating along the red line in the middle and lower jiao near the root indicates heavy dampness in the intestines.

TCM Analysis:

• Symptom Analysis:
  • ☆A red tongue tip indicates excessive heart fire. ☆A dark tongue body in the middle jiao indicates cold in the spleen and stomach. ☆White and greasy coating in the middle and lower jiao indicates heavy dampness in the intestines. ☆Pimples on the nose wings indicate damp-heat in the intestines and stomach. ☆A foreign body sensation in the throat and snoring indicate that the stomach qi is not descending, and phlegm-dampness is obstructing.
• Cause Analysis:
  • Improper diet (consuming cold foods like water chestnuts, passion fruit, and green tangerines) leads to cold in the spleen and stomach, heavy dampness in the intestines, and non-descending stomach qi.

Solution:

• Dietary Adjustment: ☆ Temporarily stop eating fruits for three days and avoid cold foods.
• Medication Adjustment: ☆ Take Huoxiang Zhengqi Pills to expel cold-dampness and clear the intestines and stomach.
• Other Recommendations: ☆ Try moxibustion on the stomach area, or boil milk with ginger slices to alleviate the cold nature. Avoid consuming foods that increase dampness like goji berries.

III. Summary of Spring Health Maintenance Points

1. Cold-Dampness Syndrome: Huoxiang Zhengqi Pills can be used.
2. Damp-Heat Syndrome: Xiao Chaihu Granules, Xiao’er Chaigui Retong Granules, etc., can be used.
3. Exterior Heat Syndrome: Yin Qiao Jiedu Granules can be used.
4. Avoid consuming cold foods.
5. Consume easily digestible, nutrient-rich foods in moderation.
6. Consume warming foods like ginger and red dates in moderation.
7. Maintain a regular schedule and ensure sufficient sleep.
8. Engage in moderate exercise to strengthen the body.
9. Keep a cheerful mood and avoid excessive emotional fluctuations.