Yin is cold, Yang is hot; Yin is blood, Yang is Qi; when Yin and Yang are balanced, all diseases disappear.
A tree’s most important part is its roots. When the leaves turn yellow, it is difficult to identify the cause from above. By looking down at the roots, one can easily determine if it is due to overwatering, drought, pests, or the need for aeration.
For a person, the most important aspect is Qi and blood. If a certain part of the body is uncomfortable, one should not only focus on that area but should seek the cause from the perspective of Qi and blood.
When Qi and blood are balanced, pain will naturally disappear. If one treats the head for headaches and the feet for foot pain without addressing the root cause of Qi and blood imbalance, one may find themselves exhausted from running around.
Why is this? Because Qi and blood are dynamic, and diseases are also mobile.
The purpose of health preservation is to seek balance in the body.
Consider the body as a bucket, diseases as the water in the bucket, and Qi and blood as the wooden planks that make up the bucket.
From birth to death, diseases lurk in our bodies, just like water in a bucket. Our goal is to keep diseases hidden and not let them overflow.
The reason why some people live long lives is that they keep their buckets full; those who die young often have buckets that are barely filled and leak.
It is important to note: the capacity of a bucket is not determined by the longest plank but by the shortest one.
A person’s lifespan is not determined by the strongest part of their body but by the weakest part.
A sixty-year-old actor has been hospitalized for over three months, and his condition is severe. Initially, he only had trouble biting his tongue while eating, but it later progressed to being unable to lift his arms above his head.
The hospital diagnosed him with myasthenia gravis. He has been so tormented by illness that he is unrecognizable. His eyelids droop, and he sits weakly on the hospital bed, speaking with great difficulty, making it hard to understand him.
His wife said, “His heart is very good; the doctor said he could live for another 50 years based on his heart alone. Look at his blood pressure; it is also very normal.”
Upon reviewing the medical report, it was clear that many of the actor’s indicators were excellent, even better than many young people. However, the unfortunate truth is that health is not determined by the good indicators but by the worst one.
Upon taking his pulse, it was evident that the actor’s spleen and stomach were severely deficient, and the Qi in his chest had begun to sink. The spleen and stomach are the foundation of postnatal health and the source of Qi and blood production. If the spleen and stomach are damaged, Qi and blood will become severely imbalanced; when Qi and blood are imbalanced, the wooden planks in the body will be uneven; if the planks are uneven, water will leak from the shortest plank. Unfortunately, it was as predicted, and not long after, we heard that the actor had passed away.
If 99% of a person’s body is healthy, but 1% has a serious problem, then that person’s health will be determined by that worst 1%.
The quality of health does not depend on how good the good parts are but on how bad the bad parts are. Therefore, the purpose of health preservation is to seek balance in the body, and the key to body balance is the balance of Qi and blood.
When Qi and blood are balanced, even if the healthy parts are not very prominent, the unhealthy parts will improve. Thus, your weaknesses will become strengths.
When Yin and Yang are adjusted, all diseases disappear.
In practice, I have encountered various patients. Some appear strong and healthy, seemingly without issues, but upon taking their pulse and examining their tongue, problems are revealed; their Qi and blood are extremely imbalanced. These individuals generally belong to the category of Yang excess and Yin deficiency.
One patient, in his fifties, is muscular and energetic. He claims he can swim 2000 meters in one go and can play basketball without taking a break. One would think such a person is very healthy!
However, this is not the case, as what we see are his strengths, while his weaknesses remain hidden. Indeed, upon taking his pulse, it was found that he had Yin deficiency and excessive internal heat, and upon inquiry, it was revealed that he had been suffering from diabetes for three years.
His weakness lies in the pancreas; if he does not find a way to strengthen this weakness, his strengths will be of no use, and his lifespan can be imagined.
We often see such individuals around us; they appear strong and healthy but suddenly fall ill and are hospitalized, only to pass away shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, some people frequently visit hospitals, seemingly ill, yet live long lives.
The reason is that the former have long strengths and short weaknesses, while the latter have neither long strengths nor short weaknesses. When the body is balanced, longevity naturally follows.
When the Yin and Yang of heaven and earth are harmonious, all industries begin to prosper; when the Qi and blood of the human body are balanced, various diseases will gradually improve.
When the Qi and blood of the heart gradually balance, frequent palpitations and chest tightness will gradually disappear, and heart disease will slowly improve; when the Qi and blood of the stomach and intestines gradually balance, conditions like enteritis and gastric ulcers will also gradually improve; when the Qi and blood of the liver balance, liver diseases will gradually improve…
Therefore, Qi and blood are the center of health preservation, and balance is the purpose of Qi and blood. By balancing Qi and blood, the weak can achieve longevity; if Qi and blood are imbalanced, even a strong person can suddenly die.
Yin and Yang in the human body mainly manifest in two aspects: cold and heat, and Qi and blood. Cold is Yin, heat is Yang; blood is Yin, Qi is Yang. Only when Yin and Yang are balanced can cold and heat be balanced, and Qi and blood flow smoothly. Thus, when Yin and Yang are adjusted, all diseases disappear.
What is Qi?
Qi is the most fundamental element of life; everyone lives on a breath of Qi. Whether a person is ill can be determined by their complexion, which reflects the Qi and blood within.
Traditional Chinese Medicine speaks of observation diagnosis. What does observation diagnose? It diagnoses the complexion. Qi is the manifestation of the body’s internal Qi on the surface; color is the manifestation of the blood on the surface.
If a person’s Qi is about to disperse, it indicates that their life is nearing its end. The heavenly physician said: “A person’s life and death depend entirely on Qi; when Qi gathers, there is life; when Qi disperses, there is death.”
One day, I met a deeply skilled acupuncturist who said that to determine whether a person can be saved, one only needs to insert a needle to find out. He said: “If a person’s life state is stable, the needle goes in tightly; if the person is about to die, the needle goes in like it is going into tofu, loose and slack, indicating that their Qi is about to disperse and cannot gather together.” Therefore, the “Nanjing” states: “Qi is the foundation of a person.”
In the human body, Qi, as described in the “Neijing,” is called “Ren Qi,” which consists of three parts: the first is the prenatal Qi from the Great Circulation, which mainly comes from the essence of the parents’ reproductive energy, also known as Jing Qi, the fundamental Qi of the body, akin to the original shares in the stock market.
The second is the postnatal Qi from food, which mainly comes from the energy in the food we eat. For example, a red apple’s skin represents the transformation of solar energy; a sweet potato’s yellow color represents the transformation of earth energy…
Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes the properties and pathways of medicinal substances, and the same applies to food. What is the nature of food? It is the Qi of the food. It is divided into four types, also known as the four Qi: cold, hot, warm, and cool. When people consume these foods containing the four Qi, they will transform the Qi in the food into the Qi in the body through the spleen and stomach, which act as a great furnace, hence it is also called “Gu Qi.”
Gu Qi is different from the prenatal Jing Qi; Gu Qi can be continuously supplied.
Another type of Qi comes from the clear Qi of nature, which is the external Great Circulation Qi, and it can only be inhaled into the body through the lung’s respiratory function and the kidney’s Qi absorption function.
The clear Qi enters the body with breathing and must not be interrupted. The “Huangdi Neijing” states: “Man is born of the earth and hangs his life on the heavens; when heaven and earth combine their Qi, it is called a person.” After inheriting Jing Qi, a life is born, but can this life grow into an adult?
This depends on the weather and the earth’s Qi. People absorb earth Qi from grains and weather Qi from nature; only when the Qi of heaven and earth harmonizes within the body can life grow.
Why is it said that life hangs on the heavens? Consider this: a person can live for ten days or half a month without eating grains from the earth, but without breathing the air from the heavens, they may not survive for even ten minutes. This is what it means to hang life on the heavens.
What is blood?
What is blood?
If Qi is the foundation of life, then blood is the support of that foundation. The heavenly physician said: “Qi is the commander of blood, and blood is the mother of Qi.” Qi is Yang, active, and warming; blood is Yin, static, and nourishing.
Qi and blood are like a loving couple; they are different yet interdependent, living together in the family of the body.
Qi, as the husband, determines the direction of the entire family, providing warmth and support like sunlight; during stormy nights, he stands up to shield his wife and children from the wind and rain.
Blood, as the wife, is like the moon, gentle and nurturing, unconditionally supporting the family; when the husband encounters trouble, she helps without hesitation. Thus, Qi cannot exist without blood, and blood cannot exist without Qi. Qi can generate blood, circulate blood, and control blood; blood can generate Qi, nourish Qi, and carry Qi.
A good family is based on harmonious relationships between spouses; a healthy body requires balanced Qi and blood. If the couple is not harmonious, the family will face constant troubles; if Qi and blood are imbalanced, whether Qi deficiency or blood deficiency, various diseases will follow. The “Huangdi Neijing” states: “When Qi and blood are out of harmony, all diseases will arise.”
Is aging due to insufficient Qi and blood? There are many methods to tonify Qi and nourish blood.
Qi and blood are the foundation of life; the biggest difference between the living and the dead is Qi and blood. Do you see Qi and blood in the dead? No! It can be said without exaggeration that no one with insufficient Qi and blood will live long! The saying “to cut off Qi” indicates the death of an organism; without Qi, there is no life. So, is this Qi important?
Insufficient Qi and blood correspond to Qi deficiency and blood deficiency in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The result of insufficient Qi and blood leads to the decline of organ functions, causing premature aging.
Qi deficiency leads to cold limbs, spontaneous sweating, dizziness, tinnitus, mental fatigue, weakness, palpitations, and shortness of breath, as well as delayed development.
Blood deficiency can manifest as pale complexion, dry skin, withered hair, brittle nails, blurred vision, numbness in hands and feet, insomnia with vivid dreams, forgetfulness, palpitations, and mental confusion.
If we compare the human body to a growing plant, Qi is like sunlight, and blood is like rain; both work together to help the body thrive. Once Qi and blood are insufficient, it will lead to a comprehensive collapse of bodily functions.
Qi as the commander of blood refers to three major aspects: Qi can generate blood, Qi can circulate blood, and Qi can control blood.
Qi can generate blood: The process of blood formation cannot be separated from Qi transformation. Whether it is the transformation of food into refined essence, refined essence into Qi and fluids, or essence into blood, all require the action of Qi. When Qi is abundant, blood is sufficient. When Qi is deficient, it affects blood formation, leading to blood deficiency.
Qi can control blood: Qi has a controlling effect on blood, ensuring it circulates within the vessels and does not overflow. The controlling effect of Qi is mainly realized by the Qi of the spleen. If the spleen Qi is deficient, it cannot control blood, leading to various bleeding disorders, known as “Qi cannot control blood.”
Qi can circulate blood: The circulation of blood in the vessels relies on the propulsion of Qi; hence, “when Qi moves, blood moves; when Qi stagnates, blood clots.” The heart Qi’s propulsion, lung Qi’s dispersal, and liver Qi’s regulation are all closely related to blood circulation. Any dysfunction in these processes can lead to poor blood flow.
Blood is the mother of Qi: Blood is the carrier of Qi and also the source of nourishment for Qi. Therefore, Qi cannot exist independently without blood. Clinically, blood deficiency can lead to a lack of nourishment for Qi, resulting in Qi deficiency. When blood is lost, Qi has no support, and thus Qi also dissipates.
It is evident that Qi and blood are closely related, interlinked, and inseparable. Therefore, when we tonify Qi, we must not forget to nourish blood; when we nourish blood, we must not forget to tonify Qi.
How to regulate insufficient Qi and blood in daily life?
1. Exercise regularly
Some people lack a good habit of exercising and spend long periods sitting or being still. Lack of exercise can easily obstruct the normal flow of Qi and blood, so regular exercise can effectively promote smoother circulation of Qi and blood, which is particularly important for alleviating Qi stagnation and blood stasis.
2. Ensure adequate sleep
There is a saying: “Food supplementation is not as good as sleep supplementation.” Compared to dietary therapy, sleep therapy is more convenient and simpler, so it is essential to maintain a good sleep habit.
During the night, from around 11 PM to 2 AM, the body’s organs undergo metabolism and repair, and only during deep sleep can the functions of the organs be better regulated. This is also an important way to promote the generation of fresh blood. If one stays up late during this time, it will lead to the depletion of Qi and blood, eventually resulting in insufficient Qi and blood.
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