Since August, many places across China have experienced consecutive heat waves. In a high-temperature environment, people are easily irritable and their heart rate increases. Everyone is trying to cool down, but their cardiovascular systems will face severe challenges once the protection is improper.
Not long ago, a 19-year-old lad in Fujian drank a lot of cold drinks after playing basketball and suddenly became unwell. When he was sent to the hospital, he was diagnosed with an acute myocardial infarction, which was really distressing.
Yanqing Chen, deputy chief physician of the Center for Preventive Treatment of Disease of the Affiliated Hospital of Shanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, pointed out that after exercising in summer, the body is hot and sweaty, the blood vessels in the skin expand significantly, the blood that flows to the skin increases, and the blood that returns to the heart decreases. If you drink cold drinks immediately at this time, the blood vessels of the skin will shrink sharply, the blood volume returning to the heart will suddenly increase, and the blood pressure will rise. These are not good for patients with cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension.
Summer is the season for the outbreak of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. When the temperature reaches above 35 ℃, the mortality rate from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases will increase significantly. So how to scientifically "relieve the heat" for heart and blood vessels in summer?
1.The "Three Don’ts" help the heart to pass the summer smoothly.
1) Don't take cold showers.
If you stay in a high-temperature environment for a long time, your body temperature will be relatively high. If you take a cold bath at this time, the large temperature difference will cause vasoconstriction and affect normal blood circulation.
2) Do not replace water with beverages.
In summer, most people prefer to drink iced beverages. Although iced beverages taste better, drinking beverages cannot replace drinking water. Not drinking water for a long time will increase blood concentration and increase cardiovascular burden. And beverages with high sugar content are not friendly to people with high blood sugar.
3) Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink.
If you don’t think about drinking water until you are thirsty, your body may already be severely dehydrated. In a state of extreme thirst, people often do not know how to drink water in moderation. Drinking too much water in a short period of time can also cause burden to the body and damage cardiovascular health.
2.Ganoderma lucidum helps blood vessels to "relieve heat".
On the one hand, improvements in daily habits are good for blood vessels. On the other hand, the protection of Ganoderma lucidum on blood vessels is also documented and clinically tested.
The protective effect of Ganoderma lucidum on heart and blood vessels has been recorded since ancient times. Compendium of Materia Medica records that Ganoderma lucidum "removes pathogenic factors congealing in the chest and reinforces heart qi", which means that Ganoderma lucidum enters the heart meridian and can promote the circulation of qi and blood.
Modern medical research has confirmed that Ganoderma lucidum can inhibit sympathetic nerves, protect vascular endothelial cells, lower blood pressure, and relieve myocardial hypertrophy caused by cardiac overload.
- From Zhi-Bin Lin's Pharmacology and Clinic Application of Ganoderma lucidum, p86
1) Regulate blood lipids
Ganoderma lucidum can regulate blood lipids. The content of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood is mainly regulated by the liver. When the intake of cholesterol and triglycerides is higher, the liver will synthesize less of these two components; otherwise, the liver will synthesize more. Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes can regulate the amount of blood lipids synthesized in the liver while Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides can reduce the amount of blood lipids absorbed by the intestines. The two-pronged effect is like buying a double guarantee for regulating blood lipids.
2) Regulate blood pressure
Why can Ganoderma lucidum lower blood pressure? On the one hand, Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides can protect the endothelial cells of the blood vessel wall and allow the blood vessels to relax in time. Another factor is that Ganoderma lucidum can inhibit the activity of "angiotensin converting enzyme". This enzyme secreted by the kidneys constricts blood vessels and causes blood pressure to rise while Ganoderma lucidum can regulate its activity.
3) Protect the blood vessel wall
Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides can also protect the endothelial cells of blood vessel walls and prevent arteriosclerosis through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects; Ganoderma lucidum adenosine and Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes can inhibit thrombosis or decompose already formed thrombus, reducing the risk of vascular obstruction.
4) Protect the heart muscle
A study published by Associate Professor Fan-E Mo of National Cheng Kung University found that either feeding normal mice with Ganoderma lucidum extract preparations containing polysaccharides and triterpenes or injecting ganoderic acids (the main components of Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes) in high-risk mice whose heart muscle was easily damaged can effectively prevent myocardial cell necrosis caused by "β-adrenoceptor agonist" and avoid affecting heart function due to myocardial damage.
- From Wu Tingyao's Healing with Ganoderma, p119-122
3.Recommended Reishi recipes for reducing summer heat
Herbal Jelly with Taro Balls and Ganoderma Lucidum Spores can expel toxins, beautify the skin, relieve the summer heat and soothe the nerves.
[Ingredients]
10g of Sporoderm-broken Ganoderma lucidum spore powder, 100g of herbal jelly powder, a right amount of honey and condensed milk
[Directions]
1.Brew the spore powder with warm water. Add 300 ml of warm water into the
herbal jelly powder and mix evenly. Add more water to stir and heat until it boils.
2.Add the spore powder and mix evenly with warm water. Cool the mixture till it solidifies.
When eating, mince it and add taro balls. Then season it with honey and condensed milk.
[Description of Medicinal Diet]
In the hot summer, a bowl of refreshing herbal jelly helps remove the summer heat from the body.
Maintaining normal blood pressure, blood lipids and blood sugar is currently recognized by the medical community as the most effective way to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease. In addition, healthy diet, regular exercise, emotional management and auxiliary conditioning with Ganoderma lucidum are all powerful weapons for protecting blood vessels in summer.
Post time: Aug-17-2022