Middle-aged men should protect their livers. Three "golden ideas" can keep your liver healthy for life

When men reach middle age, they must know how to take good care of their livers. So what are some good ways to nourish and protect the liver?

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the kidney is the foundation of the body. It is understandable for elderly men with weak kidneys to take proper kidney supplements, but middle-aged men do not need to join in the fun. The liver is different. It is responsible for venting and is smooth. If the liver qi is not comfortable, the circulation of qi and blood in the human body will be disordered, causing digestive disorders, high blood pressure and other diseases. At the same time, middle-aged men are at the "cusp" of their careers and families. They are under great psychological pressure and mental depression, which can easily cause symptoms such as liver depression, irritability, irritability, anxiety, and loss of appetite. If there is a problem with the liver, it will affect the whole body and even threaten life.

So, how to protect the liver? Health experts give 3 suggestions:

"Golden Idea" 1: Diet to protect liver

There are two main points to dietary liver protection: first, choose foods that provide sufficient nutrients to meet the liver's physiological needs; second, pay attention to food hygiene to prevent bacteria and viruses from invading the liver.

Nutritionists tell us that the five major nutrients needed by the human body, namely protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and mineral elements, are also necessary for the liver. However, the liver needs more protein, carbohydrates and vitamins, and excessive fat may cause fatty liver, so it must be properly limited. For this reason, it is recommended that you incorporate the following details into your daily diet: Editor's recommendation: Men who sleep naked are healthier

Milk, eggs, fish, lean meat, soy products and other foods should be rotated in daily meals to provide sufficient high-quality protein for the liver.

Eat appropriate amounts of easily digestible monosaccharides and disaccharides such as glucose, sucrose, honey, and fruit juice to increase liver glycogen reserves.

Yeast is rich in B vitamins and should not be neglected.

Hawthorn contains ursolic acid, which can reduce the deposition of animal fat in the blood vessel wall and has a certain effect in preventing or alleviating arteriosclerosis. If you usually eat some fresh hawthorn, soak it in water with dried hawthorn, or add hawthorn to stewed meat, it can not only add flavor but also help digestion.

Green tea clears away heat and detoxifies, helps digestion and relieves greasiness; chrysanthemum soothes the liver and improves eyesight; roses soothe the liver and relieve depression. Drinking this kind of tea regularly is good for protecting the liver.

Wolfberry nourishes the liver and kidneys, improves the liver and improves eyesight, and can be used to make tea, stew soup, or porridge.

Eat nuts such as walnut kernels and pistachios regularly to soothe the liver and regulate qi, and relieve anxiety.

People who have symptoms of liver deficiency such as yellow complexion and poor sleep may eat livestock and poultry livers once a week to achieve the effect of "nourishing the liver with the liver".

Avoid alcohol and all spicy and irritating foods. Avoid fried and dry foods.

Remove food pollution, including pesticide residues in vegetables, fruits and melons; certain food additives, such as flour whitening agents and preservatives; smoked and roasted food and spoiled food, such as rotten ginger, reddish Yuanxiao, sprouted potatoes, etc. Countermeasures: Try to buy vegetables with light pesticide pollution or no pesticides, and wash them with clean water more often. Peel fruits and melons before eating. Eat less or no food with additives, such as canned food. Stay away from smoked and spoiled food.

Drink more boiled water. The boiled water should be kept fresh, 3 to 4 times a day, 1 small bowl each time. Boiled water can increase the circulating blood volume, enhance the vitality of liver cells, and help eliminate metabolic waste, thus protecting the liver.

"Golden Idea" 2: Protect your liver through sleep

When sleeping, the human body is in a lying position, and the liver can enjoy more blood perfusion. In addition, the body is in a resting state, so the burden on the liver is the lightest. Therefore, high-quality sleep has a significant effect on liver protection. On the contrary, poor sleep quality, especially sleep disorders, can easily affect liver function. Medical experts have noticed that a sleep disorder called sleep apnea syndrome can cause liver damage.

The syndrome refers to shortness of breath during sleep caused by stenosis of the glossopharynx and uvula blocking the airway. In severe cases, the duration of apnea can be as long as one and a half minutes. Medical data show that about 32% of people with severe sleep apnea have abnormal liver function, and liver damage is proportional to the severity of apnea. Further research has found that this liver damage is related to hypoxia and insulin resistance caused by sleep apnea.

It is not difficult to understand that to improve the quality of sleep, the first thing is to actively treat sleep disorders, such as insomnia, sleep apnea syndrome, etc. Secondly, do not engage in too much brain-consuming work at night, and do not stay up late. Some people often stay up late and go to bed late because of their poor liver. Chinese medicine believes that there are two most important hours of sleep in a day, one is noon (11 am to 1 pm), and the other is midnight (11 pm to 1 am). These four hours are also the time for bone marrow hematopoiesis, and the most blood flows through the liver, which is conducive to liver function repair. In other words, you have to grasp the nap and night sleep, especially the night sleep. It is best to go to bed before 10 pm and ensure that you fall asleep around 11 pm to pave the way for liver function repair. Do you know: What can men eat to effectively prevent impotence?

"Golden Idea" 3: Exercise to protect the liver

Actively engaging in physical exercise is another effective way to protect the liver, because exercise can not only reduce excess weight, prevent obesity, and eliminate the harm of excess fat to the liver, but also promote gas exchange, speed up blood circulation, and ensure that the liver can get more oxygen and nutrients.

From the perspective of liver protection, first, we should choose a good sports venue, preferably a place with a wide field, wide view and fresh air; second, we should choose a good exercise program, preferably a whole-body low-intensity dynamic exercise that aims to exercise physical strength and endurance, such as jogging, fast walking (about 110-120 steps per minute), cycling, going up and down stairs, climbing, playing badminton, kicking shuttlecock, playing football, dancing, skipping rope, swimming, Tai Chi, etc. Once a day, each time lasting 20-30 minutes, and the fatigue after exercise should disappear within 10-20 minutes.

Massaging five acupoints can nourish and protect the liver

1. Taixi Point

Taixi acupoint is located on the inner side of the foot, in the depression between the back of the medial malleolus and the heel bone tendon. In other words, it is located in the depression between the medial malleolus and the Achilles tendon. There are two symmetrical points. This important health acupoint is the original point of the kidney and is the warehouse for storing the kidney's vitality. The liver belongs to wood and the kidney belongs to water. Trees need water to grow healthily, so nourishing the liver must nourish yin. Using Taixi to mobilize the function of the kidney can better "nourish water and contain wood."

2. Dadun Point

Dadun acupoint is located next to the nail seam on the inner side of the big toe. "Dun" means thick, and "Dadun" means particularly thick. Dadun acupoint is also a well acupoint, and "well" means source. There is a "Dadun" acupoint on the edge of the big toe nail, closest to the second toe. When locating Dadun acupoint, you can sit upright or lie on your back. Dadun acupoint is located about 2 mm from the edge of the root of the big toe (on the side of the second toe). "Dadun acupoint" can be massaged or moxibustioned, which can achieve the effect of clearing the liver and improving eyesight, making your mind clear and refreshed.

3. Taichong Point

Taichong acupoint is located on the dorsum of the foot, in the depression before the junction of the first and second metatarsal bones. Taichong acupoint is one of the important acupoints on the liver meridian of the foot, and is the original acupoint of the liver meridian. It is roughly equivalent to a warehouse for storing the vital energy of the liver meridian. Massaging and stimulating Taichong acupoint can well mobilize the vital energy of the liver meridian and make the liver function normal.

4. Liver Shu Point

The Liver Shu acupoint is located on the back, 1.5 inches below the spinous process of the 9th thoracic vertebra. It is the back Shu acupoint of the liver, and is the "pond" formed by the liver's vital energy gathering on the back of the body. The Liver Shu acupoint is an indispensable health acupoint for nourishing the liver. The combination of the Liver Shu and Taichong acupoints belongs to the "Yuyuan Pairing Acupoints" method in traditional Chinese medicine, which can replenish liver yin, nourish the liver and soften the liver. It is located in the prone position, 1.5 inches below the spinous process of the 9th thoracic vertebra, and 1.5 inches away from the tendon contraction (Du Meridian).

5. Xingjian acupoint

The "Xingjian Point" is located at the seam between the big toe and the second toe. It is a fire point. The liver belongs to wood, and wood generates fire. If your liver fire is too strong, you need to release the heart fire. The "Xingjian Point" is a point for releasing the heart fire. In spring, the liver fire is strong. Rub the "Xingjian Point" more and the heart fire can be released from here.