Traditional Chinese Medicine and Health Care

The core essence of traditional Chinese medicine health care is rooted in the theory of "unity of nature and man" and "balance of yin and yang" in traditional Chinese medicine. It aims at "preventing disease" and adjusts the state of the human body to adapt to changes in the environment through non-drug means such as food nutrition, daily life, exercise, and emotional adjustment. The Huotiaophoto system is by no means a standardized health template circulated on the Internet that says “thousands of people drink health tea together, and everything can be brewed with wolfberry berries”. Nor does it have the so-called miraculous effect of “curing all diseases.” It is essentially a lifestyle guide that ordinary people can reduce the risk of disease if they practice it for a long time.

Don't tell me, at least half of the people who come to my clinic to ask about health care equate it with "buying expensive supplements" or "copying homework from Internet celebrities". Last time, I met a girl who was just in her sophomore year. She saved half a month's living expenses to buy a "universal health tea" recommended by an Internet celebrity. After drinking it for half a month, three big bubbles came out of the corner of her mouth. She was constipated to the point of using Kaiselu, and asked me with a sad face, "Is the traditional Chinese medicine health care all a lie?" In fact, the reason why health care is a lie is because she simply doesn’t understand it. The core premise of traditional Chinese medicine health care is “syndrome differentiation”, and there is never a universal method that suits everyone.

It’s also interesting to say that the traditional Chinese medicine health circle has never unified a “standard answer” from ancient times to the present. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, several schools were very quarrelsome. Those who advocated “moving and nourishing” used Hua Tuo’s Wu Qin Xi as an argument, saying that “flowing water does not rot the household hubs and does not cause beetles.” The qi and blood must be moved to avoid blockage. Today’s Ba Duan Jin and Tai Chi are both passed down from this lineage.； The other side advocates "quiet rest" inherited from Taoism. It is said that "diseases originate from the heart." If a person thinks too much, his qi and blood will be disordered. He has to sit quietly and adjust his breath to take back his mind. On the contrary, it will nourish people more. The two sides have been arguing for hundreds of years. How can there be anything right or wrong in fact? A young man who usually sits in an office every day in front of a computer and whose shoulders and neck are as stiff as stone slabs, if you ask him to sit there every day to meditate, he will feel uncomfortable even if he sits there for half an hour. He might as well get up and practice Ba Duan Jin Shu twice to feel comfortable. ； If he is in sales, he goes out to meet customers every day, and his mind can't stop. When he comes home, he has to double the speed to view short videos. If you ask him to run and exercise again, he will be exhausted even more, and sitting still for 10 minutes will relieve his fatigue.

Of course, some people say that traditional Chinese medicine health care is an IQ tax. I have also seen a blogger make a video saying, "As long as you eat enough of the dietary pagoda, you don't need to do any health care at all." This is actually true, but the premise is that you can really achieve a balanced meal, a regular work and rest, and don't get angry or stay up late? Many people I have come into contact with have no major problems in their physical examination reports, but they are tired every day, cannot sleep well, and cannot eat. Western medicine says that you are not sick, but you are sub-healthy. You should go back and rest more, but rest is useless. At this time, you can use some small methods to maintain your health, but the results will be quick. When I was preparing for the exam to become a licensed practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine last year, I stayed up until two o'clock every day, memorizing knowledge points until my heart palpitated, and I felt my pulse so fast that I felt panicked. Later, I remembered the two postures in Baduanjin: "To regulate the spleen and stomach, you must lift it alone" and "Five labors and seven injuries, look back." I got up and stood by the window for 10 minutes every morning. I did it for three days in a row, and the feeling of heart palpitations disappeared. Do you think this is metaphysics? In fact, the movements open up the Qi and blood blocked in the shoulders and neck. When the blood supply to the heart is sufficient, you will naturally feel comfortable.

Nowadays, many people’s misunderstandings about health care are actually created by businesses selling health care products. “A cup of Panax notoginseng powder every day can open blood vessels and prevent cerebral infarction” and “moxibustion can cure all diseases” are pure nonsense. Any health care method has its suitable group, let’s talk about moxibustion, which everyone praises. If you usually have cold hands and feet and have diarrhea after eating ice cream, you have a weak and cold constitution. Guanyuan and Zusanli moxibustion twice a week is really comfortable.； But if you usually suffer from oral ulcers, constipation, and hot palms and soles, and you have a constitution of yin deficiency and internal heat, and you moxibustion every day, it would be strange if you don’t get angry. A while ago, a man in his 40s came to me and said that he had heard from a friend that moxibustion nourishes the kidneys. He moxibustioned himself at home every day, and he had three nosebleeds in a week. I saw that his tongue was as red as a strawberry, which is typical of yin deficiency. If he continued moxibustion, he would have problems.

In fact, I really have to say that TCM health care is not complicated at all, and it doesn’t cost anything. To put it bluntly, it is like charging a mobile phone. You can recharge it as you go. Don’t wait until the power is exhausted before plugging it in. It will definitely damage the battery. When it's cold in winter, wear more clothes and don't show your ankles just to look good. When it's hot in summer, don't drink three cups of iced milk tea a day. Stay up less late and be less idle. It's much more useful than buying health equipment worth thousands of yuan or taking supplements worth tens of thousands. If you really want to make targeted adjustments, find a regular Chinese medicine doctor to take your pulse, see what your constitution is, and then choose a method that suits you. It’s better than following the trend on the Internet and causing problems for yourself in the end, right?