Autumn Health Preservation: Beware of "Wandering Winds"
Autumn marks the transitional period between summer and winter wind patterns—weather is changeable, with large morning-evening temperature differences and sudden shifts in heat and cold, often catching people off guard. External pathogens exploit these vulnerabilities, making illness easy. These "external pathogens" are what people call "wandering winds."
During the day, autumn remains hot, but at night, cool breezes blow. Some people like to sleep with open windows—easily exposed to "wandering winds." During sleep, bodily functions slow down and immunity drops. Wind stirring up ground dust and bacteria/viruses enters the body, potentially causing pharyngitis, tracheitis, etc. "Wandering wind" blowing on the face during sleep may cause headaches the next morning—sometimes even facial paralysis, drooling, or mouth deviation—mainly due to viral invasion of facial nerves. Wind hitting the uncovered abdomen may trigger diarrhea. "Wandering wind" also attracts mosquitoes, which bite and transmit malaria, filariasis, and Japanese encephalitis. Nighttime "wandering wind" keeps muscles in sustained tension, preventing full relaxation—leading to accumulation of metabolic acid waste, causing next-day muscle aches, fatigue, and weakness.
People often say "a troublesome autumn" to describe the volatile weather—likely thanks to the "wandering wind." To prevent "wandering wind" invasion, one should dress and cover up appropriately—don’t shed clothes just because daytime is hot. On the other hand, don’t rush to wear cotton coats too early—slight cold exposure ("autumn cold exposure") actually strengthens resistance to autumn "wandering winds."