External Hydration and Air Humidification
With cooler weather and prolonged drought, the air has become extremely dry—Guangdong region experienced its worst drought in 54 years. Under such dry conditions, people unconsciously increase fluid intake, yet even drinking cup after cup still leaves mouths dry and tongues parched. Waking up with a dry, sore throat—why is this happening?
Journalists interviewed Dr. Liu Youzhang, Director of the Department of Internal Medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He explained that TCM attributes severe dryness in autumn to external dryness. Simply drinking more water is not an effective solution.
External Dryness Causes Thirst
Miss Wang recently experienced a significant decline in sleep quality. Once she could sleep soundly through the night, now she wakes up once or twice. Why? Every time she shifts position, her throat feels “as dry as smoke,” even slightly painful—so she must get up to drink water. Previously, she never woke up at night, let alone had nocturnal urination. After waking, she cannot fall back asleep.
Dr. Liu explained from a TCM perspective: Autumn dryness is categorized into internal and external dryness. Autumn primarily features external dryness. “Harmony between man and nature” means that dry external climate causes bodily dehydration, prompting thirst. But don’t assume drinking more water solves everything. While increased water intake temporarily eases thirst, it cannot truly alleviate autumn dryness. True relief requires internal and external treatment—both moisturizing the body and environment—so the body stays hydrated and avoids that “dry throat feeling.” Over-drinking may impair spleen and stomach function, hindering efficient distribution of ingested fluids, thus leaving one still thirsty.
External Dryness Requires External Treatment
As the saying goes: “Heart illness needs heart medicine.” Dr. Liu said, “For external dryness, we must treat it externally.” After addressing internal moisture, external dryness must also be managed. Since autumn dryness is primarily external, we must combat external dryness—mainly by humidifying the air.
Four basic methods to humidify indoor air:
Method One: Wet Mopping. Mop floors with a damp cloth once before bedtime—not to clean perfectly, but to leave the floor slightly moist.
Method Two: Saltwater Bowl. Place a bowl of saltwater in each room. Saltwater absorbs moisture; as it evaporates, it adds humidity to the air, providing moisturizing effect.
Method Three: Hang Wet Towels by Windows. This uses airflow to distribute moisture evenly throughout the room.
Method Four: Use Humidifiers or Nebulizers. These small appliances specifically designed to humidify indoor air offer the easiest method. Household humidifiers typically cost around 200–300 yuan. Dr. Liu emphasized: Do not add fragrances to humidifiers—too much fragrance harms more than it helps.