Seeking from the origin we can find out that health preserving is an important part of the TCM culture, derived from ancient Chinese philosophy. As the most famous one, book I Ching is the important carrier of Confucian and Taoist thought, gradually becoming the source of traditional Chinese culture. Building a splendid Chinese civilization, it also affected the Chinese medicine practitioners, Chinese people and their society.
At present, this traditional health-keeping storm explained well that Confucianism and Taoism wisdom not only correspond with necessities for people in modern society but also leaving a profound significance in scientific health-preservation.
"Oneness of man and nature" created the overall concept
Nowdays, the most frequently said word is "harmonious", which is also the core idea of the I Ching.
It regarded nature and society as a whole and put forward the concept of "oneness of man and nature " as well as the principals of the heaven, earth and human beings. To be harmonious with the god, man should understand the basic philosophy of yin and Yang; to be harmonious with things and people on earth, we should blend firmness and gentleness; to be a respected man, one should possess benevolence and righteousness. Inferring the personnel from nature; knowing the nature from its development and follow its trail; seeking ways and technologies expecting a harmonious society, these are what we do.
Based on this ideology of harmony, TCM presents "oneness of nature and man" concept as a whole. Original work of TCM--Huang Di Nei Jing believes that man is the product of nature; he should coexist with nature and everything within it. People follow the internal law of nature, eating and living, work and exercise, and as the four seasons, geography and the social environment change, they make corresponding adjustments. So, in accordance with its natural tendency, people will have fewer diseases, postpone aging and live a longer life. People who go against and make destruction to the nature will be subjected and receive the retribution, leading to disease of the body.
Meridian health preserving of TCM links tight and very orderly with human zang-fu organs and meridian with the rise and fall in 24 hours. TCM seasonal health-preservation of nourishing the yang in spring and summer, while supporting yin in autumn and winter; healthy diet as well as sentiment health-preservation all extended and developed Confucianism, reflecting predominance of TCM overall recuperation function. If the child has weak function of spleen and stomach, he or she could not eat too much ice cream; the old who has bad digest function should have more porridge at dinner.
In case disease occurred, Chinese medicine do not advocate a "stop-gap", but focus on conditioning as a whole. Acupuncture, massage, acu-point sticking and cupping, along with natural medicine to cure the mind and fill the blood and qi, regulating the spleen and stomach so that organs are in harmony and balance, symptoms will be relieved and disappeared naturally.
Old saying has "Bury the hatchet." Perspective that TCM presents is coexistence with virus and tumor, not only improved life quality, prolonged life length, but also emphasized the importance of complying with natural, holistic harmony.
"Yin-Yang theory" conceives four kinds of diagnoses and relevant therapies
The book of I Ching not only integrated the universe, society, humanity as a whole, but also regarded them as a system dominated by laws of yin and Yang. Opposite things in the world all oppose and conflict with each other, and contradiction would definitely occur. Meanwhile, yin and yang oppose each other, interdependent with each other, wax and wane with each other and transform within each other. Different ways of conducts will turn into diverse endings. People get to know and change the world based on this law.
Yin and yang is one of the basic theories of Huang Di Nei Jing, it holds that in nature exist yin and yang so does human body. Everything human got to know in the world is derived from these two. The diseases attack human body when the balance between yin and yang is lost. To solve the problem, four ways of diagnose（inspection, auscultation, interrogation and palpation）are to cure through specific prescription.
TCM treatment first adopts inspection and palpation, and then distinguishes whether the syndrome belongs to yin or yang. Different treatment is settled on different person, time, location and disease, such as Liu Jing Bian Zheng(tai yang、yang ming、shao yang、tai yin、shao yin、jue yin); Ba Gang Bian Zheng(yin and yang、interiority and exteriority、cold-syndrome and heat-syndrome、deficiency and excess); aimed for balance of yin and Yang to keep them in moderate conditions.
Health care follows the same pattern. Differences on environment, heredity, age, gender all attribute to different treatments. Known this truth, man can seek for his own health care methods. For cold and deficient spleen and stomach, one should have more spicy-property foods like green onion, ginger, garlic and pepper; for weak spleen and stomach, one should have more intakes of red dates, Chinese yam, hyacinth bean and lotus seeds. The same pattern suits for choosing the perfect way of exercise.
People-oriented idea draws the thought of preventing disease
Among all the health-preservations, mental health is among the top. Humane people lives longer, which is the core thought of Confucianism, that requires no greed, no mania, being moderate and absorb the essence from nature.
TCM believes that the heart dominate the whole body so that healthy heart lubricate physiological functions of human body. Greed is enemy in life; balance of mentality is the secret for long life. The young should not fight each other, the middle-aged not doing things emotionally, the old not money-driven. Optimistic, calm and gentle are all beneficial characters for long-life pursuing.
