Why do babies clench their fists like this when they are born?

The character "Zi" is the image of a newborn baby's head, with a big head on top and a small body on the bottom. After babies are born, people observe that a common shape of their hands is that the thumb is clenched among the other four fingers. This is the ancient pictograph of the word "ugly". In Taoism, the method of holding the thumb between four fingers is called "Wu Gu method".

So why do babies clench their fists like this when they are born? In the correspondence between the five internal organs and the five spirits in the "Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic", the spirit corresponding to the liver is the soul. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that if the liver qi is particularly sufficient, the person's soul will be particularly sufficient. It is like an oil lamp. If there is enough oil, the light will be particularly bright, and this light is God. When a baby is born, the fontanelle on the top of its head has not closed. The fontanelle is believed to be the place where the soul enters and exits, so the method of holding the fist when a baby is born is to secure the soul. Taoists believe that the base of the ring finger is the wind orifice of the liver, so the method of holding the fist is to pinch the base of the ring finger with the thumb. When a baby is just born, the fist is held very tightly like this. This is because the liver qi is particularly full when a person is born, and at the same time the soul must be fixed.

There is a common sign when people die, which is letting go. This image hints at an important truth for us: at the moment of death, the liver soul dissipates and the two hands can no longer hold on to each other. Once the hands are let go, the grip and liver qi are gone with the soul.

In this way, a person's birth and death are closely related to the generation of liver qi. In traditional Chinese medicine, the liver belongs to the Jueyin element, which has the ability to generate and is smooth, but at the same time this generation must also be able to be restrained. Therefore, Chinese medicine uses the two words "qu" and "zhi" to describe the wood nature of the liver. "Qu" refers to its astringent nature, and "zhi" refers to its smooth nature. Therefore, the way Chinese traditional culture looks at things is very dialectical.

The hand is like a miniature version of the body, with each finger corresponding to a different body organ. By regularly observing the half-moon marks and pain status of each finger, you will know where the red light is flashing in your body. Look, smell, ask and feel. Dry, flaky, and sore fingers are more than just a skin problem.

1. Peeling around the finger edges

Are there always hangnails around the edges of your fingers, and dead skin comes back again? This is a sign of poor blood circulation in the extremities! There are many capillaries gathered at the base of the nails. When the blood in the body becomes thicker, it is difficult for the blood to pass through these tiny capillaries, causing the skin at the base of the nails to peel or curl up due to poor blood circulation.

2. Horizontal or vertical lines appear on the nail surface

A normal nail surface should be smooth, without obvious vertical or horizontal lines. The surface of the nails is not smooth and has vertical lines. This usually happens when you overwork or overuse your brain. When you lack sleep, these vertical lines will appear very clearly. If vertical lines persist, it may be a sign of poor heart function; if horizontal lines appear, it indicates insufficient Qi and blood.

3. Number of half-moons at the base of the finger

The half-moon mark on the nails is the boundary between the yin and yang meridians and represents the essence of the human body, so it is also called the health circle. It is best to have 8-10 marks on all ten fingers, and the area should occupy one fifth of the nails. Creamy white is best, the whiter the color, the stronger the energy. If there are no or only a few half-moon marks on all 10 fingernails, it means that you have a cold constitution and your hands and feet are particularly afraid of cold.

4. Brittle and easily broken nails indicate malnutrition

The stratification of normal nails is often related to endocrine disorders caused by malnutrition and chaotic lifestyle habits. In severe cases, it is also accompanied by lesions of internal organs. It is recommended to correct your lifestyle habits and get a comprehensive physical examination.

Healthy nails: pink, without spots or lines.

If the nails are pale and bloodless, it indicates a deficiency of Qi and blood.

If the nails are purple, it may be a sign of arteriosclerosis, high blood lipids, or heart disease.

If the nails turn blue, it indicates severe cold and blood stasis.

If your nails turn yellow, it could be a sign of liver and gallbladder problems or poor blood sugar metabolism.

If your nails are blue, this may indicate a lung obstruction, such as asthma or emphysema.

Index finger length relative to ring finger:

Women have higher fertility, are more modest, more sensitive, relatively prone to breast cancer, and are less willing to take risks; men have lower fertility, stronger verbal expression skills, less aggressiveness, and poorer sense of direction.

The length of the ring finger relative to the index finger:

Women have relatively weaker fertility, are overconfident, are relatively less likely to develop breast cancer, and are very risk-taking; men have stronger fertility, weaker verbal expression skills, stronger aggressiveness, are better at mathematics, and are more likely to develop autism.

If we want to live longer, we should exercise our hand grip strength regularly.

According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, fingers and meridians are connected. From the thumb to the little finger, they correspond to the lungs, large intestine, pericardium, triple burner, heart and small intestine of the human body, and other important acupoints are also concentrated there. Moving your fingers in all directions can not only dredge the meridians, but also effectively develop brain cells. Among them, letting your fingers "walk" quickly on the table is a good choice. There are rich and interesting ways of finger "walking" both at home and abroad.

Finger Exercises

"Finger skateboards" have become popular abroad since three years ago. They were invented by a skateboard enthusiast in the United States. In order to practice his beloved skateboard even on rainy days, he would use his fingers instead of his feet to practice on a miniature skateboard that was about the same size as his index finger. Beginners usually practice simple forward and backward movements on the table. When their fingers can easily control the fingerboard skateboard, they can try to fly over a pen, a ruler, a mouse, or even jump over a book or a paper cup without letting the fingerboard skateboard fall. This imaginative idea quickly spread and became a popular fingertip exercise.

There are also many finger exercises in our country. The ways of walking with fingers are flexible and varied. They can walk sideways in a "one" shape like a crab, or in a "M" or "8" shape, or in a five-pointed star or S-shaped shape. Around 8 o'clock every morning and evening is when our minds are clearest and our memory is best. It is also the best time to practice finger exercises. Practicing for 15-20 minutes each time can increase blood flow to the brain, activate some brain cells in a dormant state, and train the brain's coordination function. Therefore, finger walking is a good brain-enhancing exercise. In addition, due to the increase in cerebral blood flow, the body's immunity will also increase.

Walnut Kneading Method

In our daily life, we should move our fingers more when we have nothing to do. In the past, old people had a very good exercise method - rubbing walnuts. That is, put two walnuts in the palm of your hand and rub them back and forth. This method can exercise each finger well, and the walnuts just form a Tai Chi image in the palm of your hand, so it is also called Tai Chi ball.

Ten-finger tapping

The ten-finger tapping method is a very good exercise method, which is to put the ten fingers of both hands together and tap each other. This method is very effective in exercising the well points on the fingers. It not only exercises the flexibility of the hands, but also exercises the liver qi, and is also very beneficial to the health of our brain. Girls with cold hands and feet must often tap their fingers together so that the blood can flow to the extremities.

For white-collar workers who often sit in front of the computer for a long time, when their fingers are stiff and their wrists are sore, they might as well let their fingers "walk" on the table. After walking, pinching the fingertips and clenching their fists can reduce the risk of "carpal tunnel syndrome". From 3-year-old children to octogenarians, everyone can practice simple and beneficial finger exercises.