With the onset of summer, the pleasant atmosphere of spring disappears and the hot winds hold sway. Just as water reservoirs and lakes run dry on account of the scorching Sun rays, living beings also suffer from dehydration and become prone to diseases resulting from the dry and hot weather of the season. To protect the body against the harmful effects of this changing environment, it is very necessary to adopt certain changes in food habits as well as in the mode of living.
If you make it a habit to drink a glass of water before going out in the Sun, you substantially reduce the risk of suffering a heat stroke. Morning hydrotherapy is considered to be extremely beneficial during these days.
Staying awake at night should be totally avoided during the summer. It increases pitta. If, for some reason one has to stay awake, one should drink a glass of water every hour.
It is not good for health to drink water or wash one's hands, feet and head with cold water immediately after coming in from the hot weather outside. Take rest for a while and drink water only after the sweat is completely evaporated and the body has cooled down.
Your life-force is adversely affected when you move about in the sun bare-headed. So do make it a point to put on a cap or a piece of cloth on your head before going out in the Sun. During the summer months, getting up early in the morning before the sunrise and taking a morning stroll cheers up the mind and invigorates the body.
The recommended diet during this season comprises khir made from milk and rice, fresh fruit juice, shikanji, lemon sherbet, thandai and other fluids that are unctuous and sweet. These provide strength along with a pleasing satisfaction. Sherbet made with roasted mango tamarind or wild mangosteen along with jaggery and cumin seeds protects one against physical disorders common to this season. Shrikhand, though normally insalubrious, can be consumed during these days.