Early Autumn Heat Not Gone, Cold Exposure Has Its Rules
Early autumn heat has not yet dissipated, and temperatures remain high. Clearly, it's harmless to "expose oneself to cold," and there's no need to hastily add more clothing. By mid-autumn, temperatures begin to drop, though it's cool but not severely cold—this is the optimal period for "autumn cold exposure." Especially for young and middle-aged adults, clothing should be controlled consciously, intentionally allowing the body to experience a bit of cold to avoid overheating and sweating, which can damage yin and deplete qi. In late autumn, climate changes are significant, with increasing temperature differences between morning and evening. Particularly during the transition from autumn to winter, strong cold fronts often invade, causing sudden drops in temperature. At this time, persisting blindly in "autumn cold exposure" would be counterproductive.
Due to geographical differences, northern and southern China have distinct climates. Generally, southern regions see cooler weather later, with minimal daily temperature variations, and even in winter, it may not be very cold. Therefore, there's no need to rush to add clothes, and the period of "autumn cold exposure" can be appropriately extended. In contrast, northern regions experience sudden cold spells with large diurnal temperature differences. Thus, one must never blindly endure cold exposure to avoid catching wind-cold.
From a human perspective, children are considered "tender yin and tender yang," still in their growth and development phase, with poor self-regulation ability. When exposed to cold stimuli, their bodies quickly react adversely, potentially triggering acute bronchitis, pneumonia, and other diseases. Elderly people, whose yin and yang energies are both diminished, have reduced overall resistance and weakened cold tolerance. Cold stimulation can cause bronchial and vascular spasm and contraction, making them prone to recurrence of chronic bronchitis or asthma, and even some heart disease patients may suffer angina or myocardial infarction, while hypertensive individuals may experience stroke. Therefore, elderly and children must exercise extreme caution when practicing "autumn cold exposure"!