Part 1: The Historical Origins and Basic Concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Preservation
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) health preservation, with its long history, unique theories, rich content, and remarkable effects, is a shining pearl in the treasure trove of TCM and a gem of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation. In recent years, with the development of the national economy and society, the improvement of people's living standards, and the arrival of an aging population, TCM health preservation has received unprecedented attention and made significant progress, increasingly demonstrating its strong vitality and important value in maintaining public health. In the future, as the nation vigorously develops TCM health preservation, actively promotes TCM-based health services for the elderly, and advances the great "Healthy China" project to improve the overall health of the population and maintain and promote the physical and mental well-being of the people, TCM health preservation will continue to benefit humanity and play an increasingly important role.
The concept and characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine health preservation
I. The Concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Preservation
(I) The Concept of Health Preservation and Healthcare
Nourishing life is a unique concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The ancients also referred to it as "preserving life," "protecting life," or "hygiene." Those who emphasized health preservation for the elderly called it "longevity for the elderly," "longevity for parents," or "longevity for the world." The term "nourishing life" first appeared in the *Zhuangzi* (Inner Chapters) and also appears multiple times in the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic). The term "preserving life" first appeared in the *Tao Te Ching* (Chapter 50). Nourishing life, or preserving life, refers to maintaining and regulating life. It involves various health-preserving activities based on the laws of life development, primarily through self-regulation, employing methods and techniques to nourish the body and mind, prevent disease, improve health, and prolong life.
"Health care" is a medical term that emerged after the introduction of modern Western medicine. It refers to comprehensive measures taken by groups and individuals that combine medical prevention and hygiene and epidemic prevention.
From the perspective of individual health care, the two terms "health preservation" and "health maintenance" are essentially the same. Therefore, contemporary Chinese medicine generally refers to them as "TCM health preservation" or "TCM health preservation and health maintenance".
(II) The Concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Preservation
Traditional Chinese medicine health preservation is a comprehensive and practical discipline that explores and studies the causes, mechanisms, and laws of human life growth, development, lifespan, and aging under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine theory. It elucidates how to nourish the body and mind, prevent diseases, and achieve the goals of improving health and prolonging life.
Commonly used TCM health preservation methods can be divided into mental and emotional health preservation, dietary and medicinal diet health preservation, daily life health preservation, exercise health preservation, acupuncture and massage health preservation, as well as other health preservation methods such as cupping, scraping, and ear patching.
Each category of health preservation methods includes several specific health preservation techniques. For example, traditional fitness exercises in exercise-based health preservation methods include Five Animal Frolics, Eight Pieces of Brocade, Yi Jin Jing, and Tai Chi.
II. Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Health Preservation
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history, unique theories, rich content, and remarkable effects in health preservation.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) health preservation and healthcare developed within the context of Chinese national culture and based on TCM, and it has its own inherent characteristics.
The characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine in health preservation are as follows:
(I) A unique and comprehensive system of health preservation theories
Traditional Chinese medicine's health preservation theory is rooted in the theory of traditional Chinese medicine. It takes the holistic concept of "harmony between man and nature" and "unity of form and spirit" as its starting point to understand human life activities and their relationship with nature and society.
It places special emphasis on the harmonious unity between humans and the natural and social environment, as well as the coordination between psychology and physiology. It emphasizes the rise, fall, floating, and sinking of qi within the body and uses the philosophy of yin and yang and the five elements, along with the theory of viscera and meridians, to explain the laws governing human physiology, pathology, birth, aging, illness, and death.
In particular, it regards essence, qi, and spirit as the three treasures of the human body and the core of health preservation. It then establishes various principles to guide health preservation, proposing that one must "follow the principles of yin and yang, harmonize with numerology, eat and drink in moderation, maintain regular daily routines, avoid excessive labor, and nourish both body and spirit," thus forming a unique and complete health preservation theory system.
(II) The principle of health preservation based on harmony and moderation
Humans and nature are an integrated whole, and the human body itself is also an integrated whole; health is balance.
Therefore, the fundamental principle of health preservation is harmony and balance. Humans should be in harmony with nature, and the human body should also be in harmony and balance. Only by maintaining the balance of Yin and Yang inside and outside the body and achieving a state of moderation and tranquility can one achieve health and longevity.
Adapting to nature and avoiding external pathogens; maintaining a good mood and avoiding extreme emotions; as well as moderating diet, conserving essence through moderation, and engaging in physical labor without fatigue-all these embody the philosophy of harmonious and balanced health preservation.
For example, the "Treatise on the Primordial Innocence of Antiquity" in the Suwen states, "Avoid evil winds and pathogenic factors at appropriate times; maintain tranquility and emptiness, and true qi will follow; guard your spirit within, and illness will not arise." This speaks of harmonious health preservation. "Eat and drink in moderation" and "work without fatigue" speak of moderate health preservation.
The Tang Dynasty physician and health expert Sun Simiao also said in his book "Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold" (abbreviated as "Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold") that "only by being neither too much nor too little can one be close to the Dao."
(III) A comprehensive approach to dialectical health preservation
Traditional Chinese medicine offers a wide variety of health preservation methods with a broad popular base. For example, Tai Chi has long been popular both at home and abroad. Medicinal wines, medicinal teas, herbal pastes, medicinal dishes, as well as acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and Qigong, have received high attention and are widely used by health enthusiasts both domestically and internationally.
However, health preservation is a systematic project that cannot be achieved by a single method or technique. Instead, it requires a variety of methods tailored to the individual's physiological and pathological condition, and adjustments based on the time, place, and person to achieve the goal of health and longevity.
Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine health preservation includes aspects such as daily life health preservation, dietary and medicinal diet health preservation, mental and emotional health preservation, exercise health preservation, medicine health preservation, acupuncture health preservation, massage health preservation, qigong health preservation, cultural and recreational health preservation, as well as health preservation according to the time, place, and individual.
It is crucial to avoid using the same method for everyone or the same diet for all seasons. Instead, one should tailor the approach to each individual's constitution, sub-health condition, or disease symptoms, employing multiple methods in combination for comprehensive conditioning.
(iv) Comprehensive health preservation practices throughout life
A person's health and longevity cannot be achieved overnight.
Maintaining health is not just a matter for middle-aged and elderly people, but should be done from the time of conception until old age. Different methods should be adopted at each stage of life, and it is essential to persevere and persist in them.
Health preservation emphasizes that it is a matter of the entire life cycle, accompanying a person throughout their life and in every word and deed.
Middle-aged and elderly people should pay more attention to, practice, and adhere to the principles of health preservation.
Before illness, during a sub-healthy period, during illness, and after recovery, appropriate health preservation methods should be adopted according to different body constitutions, sub-healthy states, or disease symptoms.
Sun Simiao's "Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold" emphasizes that health preservation knowledge and skills "must be learned by every family and understood by everyone."
Popularizing health knowledge, practicing health preservation methods, raising public awareness of health preservation, and making health preservation an important part of people's lives are the basic characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine's health preservation practices.