RUBRIQUE N TRITION
CHINESE MEDICINE: EATING WELL FOR A LONG AND HEALTHY LIFE
CHINESE MEDICINE TIPS FOR GOOD SLEEP
1) Flower teas, which are sedative and soothing.Try light and delicate rose petals. 2) Take care of your feet before bedtime: give them a nice warm bath with salt, then massage them, especially targeting the first point of the kidney meridian.
“ In Chinese medicine, each individual is considered to be the genetic result of the combination of their father and mother. We inherit their health capital. And, like all inheritance, it is not distributed fairly. To live a long and healthy life, you have to make your capital work, “ says Antoine Wegmüller, acupuncturist and practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in Lausanne. Nutrition plays a key role in this approach: eating well helps to supplement the body. Each person makes his or her own dietary choices based on their needs and body type. Our physical activity also plays a role (a lumberjack does not have the same energy needs as someone working in an office), as well as the season - local, seasonal and ripe food should be chosen in preference. Hot, cooked foods are also preferred as they are easier to digest - raw vegetables cause gas and drowsiness as they require a lot of effort from the body to break them down. Chinese medicine also classifies foods according to their flavour, which has a function - spiciness makes you sweat, for example - as well as their temperament - hot or cold - and finally their tropism - their effects on the organs or meridians on which they act in the body.
Long live the Swiss dinner! As a basic pr inciple, Antoine Wegmüller recommends the following: “ To get a good night's sleep, you should eat ‘à la suisse’, ideally around 5 or 6 pm. Socially, we can push this limit to 7 p.m., but beyond that, sleep is likely to be disturbed, ” he summarises. In the evening, avoid red meat and all heart tonics such as alcohol or spices. In the morning, don't go hungry and eat your main meal of the day at midday - again, don't eat a sandwich whilst hovering over your computer keyboard...
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