6 Healthy Stretches to Help Prevent Dry Throat and Skin

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During the season of cold weather and the continued presence of COVID-19, some people may suffer from persistent coughs and dry skin.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), lung nourishment is essential to avoid these cold weather ailments. Dr. Yu Ya-Wen, a Taiwanese TCM practitioner, told The Epoch Times about TCM’s lung nourishment approach and introduced a six-move stretching exercise based on TCM’s lung nourishment theory.

Nourish Your Lungs

TCM long ago discovered that there is a “meridian” system in the human body that is responsible for transporting “qi” and “blood” throughout the body. The two substances of qi and blood circulate to maintain balance and stability in various tissues and organs. When the meridian system is blocked, it will affect the transport of substances and allow abnormalities to appear in the body.

There are 12 main meridians corresponding to the 12 internal organs, from which they circulate further towards the hands, feet, head, and face. When things go wrong with one of the internal organs, the discomfort will occur at various points along the corresponding meridian paths.

Respiratory, skin, hair, and gastrointestinal problems are closely related to the lung meridian. According to Yu, failing to nourish the lungs leads to dryness in the mouth, throat, skin, hair, and intestines.

Diet is Key

Traditional Chinese medicine’s methods nourish the lungs with food therapy, acupuncture, and meridian massage. Yu stressed that among these, diet is primary.

In colder months, steer clear of cold foods such as salads and raw fruits and vegetables that are best enjoyed during the summer. Instead, include more cooked and warming foods in the diet. Try to cook your food at lower temperatures for longer periods, and opt for room-temperature water, or warm teas. Avoid eating fried or spicy foods. Eating in this manner helps prevent the excessive internal heat that promotes dryness.

Yu suggests eating more white-colored foods. She said that foods such as white yams, turnips, apples, pears, white beans, white mushrooms, and even bird’s nests. These foods are starchy and rich in trace minerals, which can protect epidermal mucus cells.

Lung Meridian Acupoints

Frequent massage of the lung meridian is also a good way to nourish the lungs. To locate your lung meridian, follow the line of your shoulder to the inner wrist, beside your thumb. Massaging the lung meridian is beneficial to meridian health.

If your throat is uncomfortable or you have excessive phlegm, it may be helpful to press on the major acupoint of the lung meridian, LU-10.

The lung meridian starts from the lungs, extending through the lateral arm to the thumb side. The Epoch Times

Lung Meridian Stretching Exercises

Based on the TCM technique of stretching to improve the operation of the lungs, Fu Tang, a sports trainer, designed an easy-to-learn, lung meridian stretching exercise. When doing the exercise, one can feel the extension of the arms and the expansion of the chest muscles.

Before doing the exercise, you can first press and relax the tense muscles around the lung meridian, including the flexor pollicis brevis muscle, extensor carpi radialis tendon, brachioradialis muscle, biceps brachii muscle, and pectoralis major muscle. Look for the tightest point of each muscle, and press for 20 seconds each time.

1) Shoulder joint forehand rotation (20 seconds)

Muscles to be exercised: Rotator cuff muscles.

How to do it: Hold a stick in front of your body, with your palm facing the ground as demonstrated in the video. Lift your hand straight up and slowly bring it behind you as far as you can, then slowly return to the front. Be careful not to speed up when crossing your shoulder—maintain a consistent speed.

Tips: To further challenge yourself, put your hands inward a little bit when holding the stick.

2) Scapular backhand rotation (20 seconds)

Muscles to be exercised: Rotator cuff muscle group.

How to do it: Grasp the stick, as demonstrated in the video, and place it behind the body. Lift your hand straight up and slowly bring it forward.

Do this with a little abdominal pressure. Don’t let the ribs and pelvis move too much.

3) Thoracic vertebra rotation and expansion (20 seconds)

Muscles to be exercised: Thoracic vertebra.

How to do it: As demonstrated in the video, hold the stick behind the ribs with arms open. Turn right first and bend down sideways. After returning to the original position, turn left and bend down sideways. Try not to turn your pelvis with the rest of your body.

4) Windmill chest and back rotation (20 seconds)

Muscles to be exercised: Muscles of the back.

How to do it: Grasp the stick with both hands and place it in front of the body, as demonstrated in the video. Bend forward while keeping the legs straight, and turn in a windmill-like rotation, first to the left, then to the right.

5) Half kneeling position rotation and expansion (20 seconds)

Muscles to be exercised: Back muscles.

How to do it: As demonstrated in the video, kneel on the right knee. Put the stick beside the left knee. Grasp the stick with both hands, right hand on top, left hand on the bottom. Hold the stick in an upright position. Push the stick forward and bend it to the left, feeling the extension of your arm and right back muscles. Do the same in the opposite direction.

6) Half kneeling position front and back bend (20 seconds)

Muscles to be exercised: Chest and back muscles

How to do it: Hold the stick behind your ribs with your arms open. Kneel on your right knee. Turn right first, and then bend forward and back according to the video demonstration After three repetitions, switch sides.