Developing a Traditional Chinese Medicine Mindset: From Health Preservation to Life

The ultimate goal of learning the correspondence between climate and internal organs is not to learn a lot of health preservation methods, but to establish a traditional Chinese medicine way of thinking.

This way of thinking can be used not only for health preservation but also for understanding many problems in life.

The first thing we realized was the holistic view: humans are not isolated beings.

The core concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine is holism, and the correspondence between the changes in nature and the internal organs is the ultimate manifestation of holism.

Many people only look at the parts of a problem and not the whole picture.

For example, when someone coughs, they only think there's a problem with their lungs and only know how to stop the cough;

When you have diarrhea, you only think about having a stomach problem and only know how to stop the diarrhea.

But traditional Chinese medicine doesn't see it that way.

Coughing may be caused by dry weather, which can damage the lungs.

It might be due to catching a cold, with wind and cold affecting the lungs;

It might be due to excessive dampness, causing phlegm and dampness to obstruct the lungs;

It could also be due to anger, causing liver fire to affect the lungs.

The same symptom may have different causes; only by finding the root cause can the problem be truly solved.

This applies not only to physical health but also to other aspects of life.

For example, low work efficiency might not be because you're not working hard enough, but because the recent hot weather has dampened your spirits and made you feel unwell.

It might be because of the recent high humidity, causing mental fog and difficulty concentrating.

Only by placing people within the larger context of their environment can we find the true cause of the problem.

A holistic perspective tells us not to look at problems in isolation, but to see the connections between things.

The various organs of the body are interconnected, humans are connected to nature, and humans are connected to society.

Only by recognizing the connections can we find a fundamental solution.

The second point is the dynamic perspective: there is no single, unchanging standard answer.

Many people like to find the standard answer.

For example, "What is the best way to maintain health?"

What is the most nutritious food?

What time is best to go to bed each day?

But the answer from traditional Chinese medicine is always: not necessarily.

The world is constantly changing, the climate is constantly changing, and the human body is constantly changing.

What works this year may not work next year.

Foods suitable for this season may not be suitable for the next season.

What works for someone else may not work for you.

Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes "differentiation of syndromes and treatment based on syndrome differentiation" because each person's syndrome is different, and therefore the medication should be different.

There is no fixed prescription, only the approach of adjusting according to the symptoms.

The same applies to health preservation; there are no fixed methods, only methods that are suitable for the present moment.

Don't cling to any fixed experience; adjust flexibly according to the actual situation.

True wisdom lies in being able to adapt to changes, to adjust to local conditions, and to consider individual differences.

The third is the concept of balance.

All theories in Traditional Chinese Medicine ultimately point to one goal—balance.

Yin and Yang in balance, Qi and Blood in balance, and the internal organs in balance.

Balance brings health; imbalance brings illness.

Climate can be either excessive or deficient; excessive climate is characterized by an excess of Yang energy, while deficient climate is characterized by a decline of Yin energy.

The same applies to the human body. Excessive fire is called yang excess, and excessive water is called yin excess; insufficient fire is called yang deficiency, and insufficient water is called yin deficiency.

The purpose of health preservation is not to supplement as much as possible, but to restore the body to a balanced state.

Many people believe that supplements are good, and the more the better.

But in fact, too much of a good thing can be bad.

It's good for people with qi deficiency to replenish qi, but too much replenishment can cause qi stagnation, leading to symptoms like abdominal distension and chest tightness.

It's good for people with blood deficiency to replenish their blood, but too much replenishment can lead to blood stasis, resulting in high blood lipids and thrombosis.

Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes "tonifying deficiency and purging excess": replenish what is insufficient and drain what is excessive. Warm when it is cold, clear when it is hot, dry when it is damp, and moisten when it is dry. The core of everything is to bring the body back to a balanced state.

The concept of balance applies not only to health preservation but also to life.

Work and rest should be balanced, as should diet and exercise, and emotions should also be balanced. Taiji lifestyle, whether it is extreme overwork or extreme comfort, will ultimately harm your health.