Life, aging, illness, and death are processes that everyone must experience. How to reduce the torment of illness, delay the aging process, and enjoy a high-quality healthy life is a question many people ponder. The understanding of this issue forms the basis of health preservation. To eliminate disease and prolong life, one must not only grasp the principles of health preservation but also earnestly practice and persist in them.
1. Eight Health Preservation Measures
1. Maintain Regularity in Daily Life
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emphasizes the correspondence between humans and nature, noting that the physiological activities of the human body exhibit significant rhythmic patterns. The natural world has a day-night rhythm, and humans have developed habits of working at sunrise and resting at sunset, leading to a physiological rhythm of brain function that is excited during the day and inhibited at night. Living in accordance with this rhythm is beneficial to health, while violating it can harm health. Disrupted daily routines can easily lead to insomnia, anxiety, and decreased immunity.
2. Balanced Diet
A balanced diet has two meanings:
(1) The amount of food consumed daily should match the physiological needs of the body. Too little can lead to malnutrition, while too much can cause nutritional excess, resulting in obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and other conditions.
(2) The ratio of nutrients consumed should align with physiological needs. For example, the ideal ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the human body is approximately 2:1. If the phosphorus content in food is too high, it can hinder calcium absorption and utilization, even leading to calcium loss. Nutritionists advocate for dietary diversity based on this principle to ensure the body receives all essential nutrients.
3. Balance Work and Rest
Balance refers to the interplay of work and leisure in daily life. Work is the process of energy expenditure, while leisure is the process of energy accumulation. Whether mentally or physically taxing, fatigue will eventually set in, signaling that energy expenditure has reached a critical point. Timely rest and energy replenishment not only enhance efficiency but also benefit health. Conversely, continuing to work while fatigued can lead to decreased efficiency and overwork syndrome, manifesting symptoms such as excessive sleepiness yet difficulty falling asleep, thirst without the desire to drink, hunger without the ability to eat, and a desire to accomplish tasks but feeling powerless.
Of course, leisure must also be balanced. Adequate rest allows for sufficient energy accumulation, making learning and work feel invigorating, creative, and enjoyable. On the other hand, excessive leisure without work can lead to physical and mental decline, with accumulated energy converting to body fat, resulting in obesity.
4. Face Adversity with Composure
In life, there are both favorable and adverse circumstances. Favorable conditions can lead to overconfidence, while adversity can cause discouragement. If one cannot properly address both favorable and adverse situations, the results of health preservation may be quickly undone. Recognizing that both favorable and adverse conditions are normal aspects of life and adopting a dialectical perspective can help one remain vigilant during good times and learn from experiences during tough times, thus fostering resilience. This is also the best spiritual nourishment for health preservation.
5. Be Cautious of Weather Extremes and Maintain Hygiene to Avoid the Six Excesses
Wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire are natural states of climate change, referred to as the “Six Qi” in ancient texts. Under normal circumstances, the human body can adapt to them, but when the “Six Qi” changes rapidly or the body’s resistance is low, they can become pathogenic factors, known in TCM as the “Six Excesses.” To avoid the harm of the “Six Excesses,” one should pay attention to climate changes, adjust clothing accordingly, and modify diet and daily routines.
6. Explore Actively, Avoid Conflicts, and Protect Against the Seven Emotions
The “Seven Emotions” refer to joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, and shock, which are normal emotional experiences that everyone has and do not cause illness. However, intense and prolonged emotional stimuli that exceed a person’s physiological and psychological capacity can damage the organs and vital energy, leading to various physical and mental illnesses, termed “internal injury from the Seven Emotions” in TCM. While emotional disorders may not threaten life, they can be difficult to treat and affect quality of life. The best way to prevent and treat emotional disorders is to stimulate one’s spirit of exploration and interest, allowing for passionate, vibrant, and creative engagement in learning and work, effectively shielding oneself from the distractions of fame and conflict, and distancing oneself from illness.
7. Treat Illness Early
Some individuals may delay treatment for illnesses due to busyness or other reasons, leading to minor ailments becoming serious conditions that are difficult to reverse. For example, fatty liver disease often results from obesity, alcohol consumption, and a preference for rich foods, and may not present obvious discomfort in the early stages, often being discovered during health check-ups. Some patients may disregard this condition, continuing to indulge until severe liver damage occurs, even progressing to cirrhosis before seeking proper treatment, which is clearly too late. If treated early, following medical advice, improving lifestyle, and actively seeking treatment can lead to a different outcome. Thus, early treatment of illness is also an indispensable measure in health preservation.
8. Strengthen the Body Before Illness Occurs
Strengthening the body before illness refers to using methods to enhance physical fitness to prevent disease. There are many ways to strengthen the body, including TCM health practices such as Yi Jin Jing (Muscle-Tendon Change Classic), Wu Qin Xi (Five Animal Frolics), Ba Duan Jin (Eight Pieces of Brocade), Tai Chi, health Qigong, acupoint massage, as well as calisthenics, fitness exercises, walking, brisk walking, jogging, square dancing, swimming, and more.
When choosing these activities, pay attention to three main points:
(1) Choose activities suitable for your health status as foundational fitness projects (such as various fitness exercises focusing on joint movement, acupoint massage, health Qigong, etc.) and practice them daily.
(2) In addition to foundational fitness projects, select activities of personal interest to keep fitness engaging and varied.
(3) Ensure that activities are moderate, balancing movement and rest.
In summary, life is movement. Appropriate exercise can invigorate blood circulation, enhance disease resistance, and delay the aging process.
2. Four Principles of Health Preservation
1. Cultivate the Self
Cultivating the self means aspiring to high ideals, possessing a spirit of independence, self-improvement, and self-discipline, with the goal of continuous self-perfection. Thus, self-cultivation is the driving force behind health preservation; only those who focus on self-cultivation can better preserve their health.
2. Nurture the Nature
Nurturing the nature means not reacting impulsively to complicated matters, but rather approaching them calmly, waiting for the right moment, and finding ways to resolve them. This approach often transforms crises into opportunities. Nurturing the nature can prevent emotional harm and eliminate negative distractions in health preservation.
3. Gather the Spirit
Gathering the spirit refers to focusing and calming the mind. The Seven Emotions and Six Desires are natural human feelings. However, some individuals may become distracted by temptations of wealth, pleasure, and success, leading to unrest. Over time, how can one talk about health preservation? Those who are good at health preservation should maintain a stable mental state, unaffected by trivial matters.
4. Preserve Essence
Preserving essence means avoiding overwork and moderating sexual desires. Essence, Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) are the “Three Treasures” of the human body, which are interdependent and transform into one another. Preserving essence can enhance vitality, making health preservation more effective.
Source | China Traditional Chinese Medicine News
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