What are the contents of traditional Chinese medicine health care?

Traditional Chinese medicine health care has never been as narrow a category as "soaking wolfberry, eating donkey-hide gelatin, and moxibustion every day" as spread on the Internet. It is essentially a full-scenario life-oriented care that follows the rhythm of life and natural laws. The core revolves around the two underlying logics of "correspondence between nature and man, strengthening the body and eliminating evil", which penetrates into every small choice of eating, drinking, having sex, clothing, food, housing and transportation.

When I first worked as an assistant at a community traditional Chinese medicine clinic two years ago, I always felt that health maintenance had to be done with "high-end" programs. I either had to take some expensive tonics or do massage and moxibustion regularly. Until I met an aunt who was constipated all the time while attending a consultation with an old Chinese doctor. After half a year of taking nourishing prescriptions to moisturize the intestines, it didn't work. After asking the old Chinese doctor, I found out that the aunt wakes up every morning. The first thing she did was drink a glass of ice and she liked to wear clothes that showed off her navel and waist. She didn’t even prescribe medicine, so she asked her to change the ice drink in the morning to a warm one, and wear clothes to protect her waist and abdomen. Half a month later, my aunt came for a follow-up consultation and said that most of her constipation was gone. It was then that I realized that these small details of life that no one takes seriously are the core content of traditional Chinese medicine health care.

Nowadays, there is a lot of quarrel on the Internet about "should we strictly avoid foods to maintain good health". In fact, there are different opinions in the industry: one group believes that people with biased constitutions should actively avoid foods that are contrary to their own constitutions. For example, those with heavy phlegm and dampness should avoid sweet, greasy and cold drinks, and those with yang deficiency should avoid ice drinks as much as possible.； The other group believes that the core of "eating and drinking with moderation" mentioned in the "Huangdi Neijing" is "moderate" and not "forbidden". Completely strict taboos will cause emotional depression and are bad for the body. As long as you don't overdose and occasionally eat what you want, it will make you feel better than any tonic. I have a friend who stayed vegetarian for half a year to maintain his health. He didn’t even dare to touch anything spicy. As a result, his complexion became sallow and he started to feel emotive at every turn. Later, he listened to another doctor’s advice and allowed himself to eat his favorite Chongqing hot pot once a week. He didn’t have to deliberately restrict food, as long as he didn’t hold back when eating. Within two months, his complexion brightened and his mood became much more stable.

In addition to these small details of food and clothing, exercise and emotional maintenance are also particularly important parts of traditional Chinese medicine. Don’t think that only playing Ba Duan Jin and practicing Wu Qin Xi seriously can be called health exercise. If you usually sit for an hour at work, stand up, stretch, turn your neck, and sit less for one stop on the way to get off work. These small actions that can be done casually are all practical exercises of "movement generates yang" in traditional Chinese medicine. They are much more useful than getting a fitness card worth tens of thousands of yuan and going there twice. Not to mention emotions, have you ever been so angry that your stomach was so clogged that you couldn't eat? After staying up for several long nights in a row, you feel so exhausted that you have no energy to speak? What our ancestors said, "Anger hurts the liver, thinking hurts the spleen, happiness hurts the heart, and fear hurts the kidneys" are really not metaphysics. They are all practical experiences that have been tried and tested by generations of people. Don't dwell on your own mistakes. Don't keep it in your heart when you encounter bad things. Find a friend to complain about, or go out for a walk to cool down your emotions. It is more effective than taking any tonic.

Of course, I have to mention that there are many products on the market that turn TCM health care into IQ-tax products, such as "universal health tea" and "moxibustion patches that can cure all diseases". These are all deceptive. The most important thing about TCM health care is that it varies from person to person. There is no universal health regimen that is suitable for everyone. Others drink red bean and barley water. Moisture is useful, but if you have a spleen and stomach deficiency, drinking it will hurt your stomach. Others use moxibustion every day to replenish yang. If you have a yin deficiency and internal heat, you will get angry and have nosebleeds. If you really want to make targeted adjustments, it is best to find a regular traditional Chinese medicine doctor to identify your body type and then choose a method that suits you. Don't follow the trend and buy blindly, which will damage your body.

I don’t do any particularly complicated health regimen now. I just drink a cup of warm water in the morning, eat until I’m half full, try to go to bed before 11 o’clock, and practice Ba Duan Jin for 10 minutes when I have time. Friends around me say that I look much better than when I stayed up late two years ago. In fact, there is really no secret. I just stick to these small habits. As for health preservation, it is just a matter of living a daily life. There are not so many mysterious things.