Spring sprouts, summer grows, autumn harvests, winter stores. The 24 solar terms are not only revolving seasonal symbols but also the Chinese people's life wisdom of aligning with nature and balancing body and mind. Starting in 2026, the People's Daily Health client and Life Times, together with the China Association of Chinese Medicine, launched the annual series 'Wellness! Solar Terms,' inviting a seasonal mentor each issue to teach how to adjust lifestyle by solar term.
The End of Heat (Chushu) is the second solar term of autumn, a homophone for 'escaping the heat,' marking the imminent retreat of summer heat as heaven and earth's yang energy gradually withdraws and all things turn from 'summer growth' to 'autumn harvest.' This year August 24 is the end of the dog days; the Chushu period is a critical window for bodily repair, and missing it makes one prone to illness in winter. Traditional Chinese medicine calls late summer and early autumn 'long summer'; after prolonged damp-heat exposure people easily develop two discomforts: a sudden wave of 'autumn fatigue' and a small allergy peak.
Autumn fatigue shows as heavy-headed dizziness at waking, scattered attention, and post-meal drowsiness. A regular, healthy diet helps resist it. Autumn air carries higher pollen concentrations, which can also trigger mold and dust-mite allergies. Children and those with weak spleen and lung should wash face and nose on returning home, keep indoor humidity around 50%, and air out seasonal clothes before wearing.
Folk often use 'autumn tiger' to describe the short spell of returning heat after Chushu, usually at the turn of August and September, lasting 7 to 15 days. With large day-night temperature swings and possible continuous high heat, cardiovascular risk rises. The elderly, with deficient liver and kidney and high temperatures, are prone to cerebral hemorrhage or heart attack. Moreover, artemisia pollen season, combined with muggy weather, easily induces allergic rhinitis. Damp-heat constitutions attract more mosquito bites, while yin-deficient constitutions easily develop skin cracking. Therefore, replenish water in time and massage Zusanli and Yinlingquan acupoints to strengthen the spleen and dispel dampness.
