Here are the 42 principles and knowledge points for traditional Chinese medicine health and wellness:
Basic Concepts and Knowledge:
- Traditional Chinese medicine health and wellness refer to health activities aimed at enhancing physical fitness, preventing diseases, and promoting longevity, guided by traditional Chinese medicine theories.
- The philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine health and wellness emphasizes aligning with nature, balancing yin and yang, and considering individual differences.
- Emotions, diet, daily routines, and exercise are the four cornerstones of traditional Chinese medicine health and wellness.
- Traditional Chinese medicine health and wellness emphasizes comprehensive care and starts from a young age, maintaining it consistently.
- Traditional Chinese medicine’s approach to health and wellness covers three stages: prevention of illness before it occurs, preventing disease progression when it happens, and preventing recurrence after recovery.
- Traditional Chinese herbal health uses natural properties of herbs to balance the body’s qi, blood, yin, and yang. Consider age, constitution, and seasonal variations when taking herbal remedies.
- Medicinal and dietary elements overlap. Common dual-use herbal ingredients include honey, Chinese yam, lotus seeds, jujubes, longan, wolfberries, walnut kernels, poria, ginger, chrysanthemum, mung beans, sesame, garlic, Sichuan pepper, and hawthorn.
- Five important acupressure points in traditional Chinese medicine are Shanzhong, Sanyinjiao, Zusanli, Yongquan, and Guanyuan.
- Self-acupressure techniques include tapping, rubbing, pinching, kneading, rolling, tapping, and patting.
- Gua sha can activate blood circulation, relax muscles and tendons, open meridians, relieve emotional distress, and disperse pathogenic factors.
- Cupping can dispel cold and dampness, eliminate stasis, alleviate swelling and pain, and eliminate toxic heat.
- Moxibustion can promote qi circulation, invigorate blood, and warm meridians.
- When preparing herbal decoctions, avoid using aluminum or iron containers.
Healthy Lifestyle and Behaviors:
- Maintain a calm mindset, adapt to social situations, and lead a positive and optimistic life and work.
- Maintain a regular daily routine, following the natural cycles of morning and night and the seasons consistently.
- Seasonal routine tips: In spring and summer, it’s advisable to sleep and wake up later; in autumn, go to bed and rise early; and in winter, go to bed early and wake up late.
- Maintain a balanced diet, focusing on grains, vegetables, fruits, and poultry, avoiding selective eating or cravings.
- Chew food thoroughly, avoid overeating, and eat mindfully while maintaining a pleasant mood during meals.
- Have a hearty breakfast, a full lunch, and a light dinner.
- Wash hands before meals and rinse the mouth after meals.
- Women experience various physiological cycles like menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, and menopause, each requiring specific health and wellness practices.
- Avoid smoking and limit alcohol consumption to reduce the risk of related diseases.
- The feet often show the first signs of aging, so foot baths have excellent health benefits.
- Control sexual activities and avoid excessive indulgence.
- Those with weak constitutions may consider winter supplementation.
- Avoid overfeeding infants and young children.
Common Health and Wellness Practices:
- Emotional health involves controlling and adjusting emotions to achieve mental and physical tranquility and emotional well-being.
- Dietary health involves adjusting eating habits and choosing appropriate foods according to individual constitution to promote health.
- Exercise for health involves practicing traditional Chinese health-promoting activities to maintain health, enhance physical fitness, extend lifespan, and delay aging. Common activities include Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin, Wu Qin Xi, Liu Zi Jue, and more.
- Seasonal health involves adopting health practices according to the changing seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
- Meridian health involves opening and harmonizing meridians and balancing yin and yang through methods like acupuncture, moxibustion, tuina, massage, and exercise.
- Constitutional health involves adopting daily health practices suitable for different constitutional types: balanced constitution, yang-deficient constitution, yin-deficient constitution, qi-deficient constitution, phlegm-damp constitution, damp-heat constitution, blood-stasis constitution, qi-stagnation constitution, and special constitution.
Simple Health and Wellness Practices:
- Tooth-tapping: Tap upper and lower teeth 30 times each upon waking up to strengthen them.
- Breath regulation: Practice deep, even breathing regularly to maintain consistent and gentle respiration.
- Saliva swallowing: Every morning, use your tongue to collect saliva in your mouth and swallow it several times to aid digestion.
- Face rubbing: In the morning, rub your hands together to create warmth. Use your index finger to massage your face from the sides of the nose upward to the forehead, then down the cheeks. Repeat 10 times or until the face feels slightly warm. This practice promotes facial radiance and reduces fatigue.
- Hair combing: Using your fingertips, comb your hair from front to back, gently massaging your scalp. This practice helps stimulate blood circulation and clear your mind.
- Eye exercises: Rotate your eyeballs from left to right about ten times each, then close your eyes and rest for a while. This practice can improve liver function and eye health.
- Ear pressing: Cover your ears with your hands, bow your head, and lift it five to seven times. This practice helps clear your mind and eliminate distracting thoughts.
- Breath holding: Inhale and raise the anal sphincter slightly, and then slowly exhale and relax it. Repeat five to seven times. This practice promotes the movement of qi.
- Abdominal massage: After each meal, use the palm to massage the abdomen in a clockwise direction around the navel approximately 30 times. This practice aids digestion and relieves bloating.
- Foot sole massage: Before bedtime, use your thumb to massage the soles of your feet in a clockwise direction about 100 times. This practice helps strengthen the lower back and kidneys.
These practices and knowledge points encompass the principles of traditional Chinese medicine for health and wellness.