Traditional Chinese medicine isn’t just for those who have already fallen ill; it is also for those who are healthy!
Dating back over 2,000 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on maintaining a healthy lifestyle to prevent diseases from developing in the first place. TCM believes that the key to health is balance, nutritious foods, medicinal herbs, exercise, and relaxation.
According to TCM, each person has a life force energy inside. This force is known as “Qi” (pronounced chee) in the Chinese language. Qi flows freely through pathways, called meridians, in the body – when it’s balanced.
These health tips from TCM can help you balance the flow of energy in your body, relieve tension, and remove toxins from the body:
Nutritional Therapy
TCM sees food and medicine as the same thing. Some foods are even considered more “medicine” than “food,” such as ginseng. TCM physicians advise us to eat foods for their nutritional and healing properties, not only for their taste. According to Inner Light, a Chinese medicine diet boils down to the vital principle of draining dampness. In TCM, dampness is considered to cause many illnesses, including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, allergies, environmental disease, high cholesterol, metabolic disorders, and cancer.
What is dampness anyway? It is a by-product of eating foods that clog the body’s energy flow. Some foods that create dampness include yogurt, cheese, sugar, and white flour. After eating too many ‘damp’ foods, you may experience constipation, too much mucus in the sinuses or lungs, swollen joints, high blood sugar, excess body fat, and even urinary tract infections.
The TCM diet recommends a mix of steamed rice, cooked vegetables, and small quantities of protein like meat, fish, and beans. Vegetables play a vital role in flushing the system of dampness and toxins and are packed with nutrition. The more colorful the veggies, the healthier they are for the body. Your plate should comprise significant quantities of brightly colored and lightly cooked veggies. Rice also helps cleanse the body while draining dampness, similar to how it soaks up the sauce on your plate.
Movement Exercises
For centuries, the Chinese have practiced Tai Chi and Qi Gong, forms of martial arts that combine meditation with gentle, flowing movements. These exercises direct the body’s Qi energy flow to ultimately balance the life force within. According to Harvard Health Publishing, this low-impact movement relaxes the mind and improves balance and flexibility.
Massage Therapy
Tui na (pronounced twee-nah) is a traditional therapeutic massage in traditional Chinese medicine that balances Qi by releasing pressure on the meridian points in the body. The practice involves twisting, squeezing, turning, kneading, rolling, and pressing the points to relax the muscles and relieve tension.
During a massage, your body naturally releases feel-good chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, and opiates. Simultaneously, massage therapy calms the body’s fight-or-flight response and reduces stress hormone (cortisol) levels.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese treatment that involves sticking very thin needles into the skin along the body. TCM practitioners place each needle at specific points along the meridians to encourage the flow of Qi. According to the UC San Diego School of Medicine, acupuncture treatment effectively reduces various chronic pain conditions. Currently, the use of acupuncture isn’t widely accepted by the scientific and medical communities for the treatment of any condition.
Cupping Therapy
Chinese physicians have used cupping therapy for centuries to remove toxins from the body. Before setting them on fire, the ancient practice involves filling cups with flammable substances, such as paper, herbs, or alcohol. Then, the cups are immediately placed upside down on the skin to create a suction. As the cup cools down, it forms a vacuum which expands the blood vessels.
This suction helps circulate the blood flow and practitioners claim that it draws impurities to the skin’s surface, removing toxins from the body. It may also reduce inflammation and relax tissue, like a massage. However, current scientific evidence doesn’t support the use of cupping therapy.
Medical Plants
Our ancestors turned to mother nature for healing, preventing disease, and easing discomfort a long time ago. China isn’t the only culture with its own traditional herbal medicines; the Caribbean, Greece, Rome, and India do too!
Several common plants produce chemical compounds that have therapeutic effects. You may already have them in your kitchen or garden and don’t even know it! If you want to harness plants’ powerful healing energy to feel stronger and healthier, try making tea with these common medicinal herbs:
Allspice
Allspice, also known as Jamaica pepper, is made from the dried unripe berries of a Caribbean tropical tree called Pimenta dioica. It has a scent and flavor of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove combined. Research from Current Drug Targets shows that Caribbean cultures have long used allspice to heal colds, upset stomachs, and menstrual cramps.
Bay Leaf
Bay leaves, a go-to soup or stew herb, have surprising medicinal properties. They are a rich source of potassium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and magnesium. According to a study published in Medicinal Plants of South Asia, European and Asian cultures have used the leaves for thousands of years to reduce inflammation, heal wounds, and prevent disease.
Elderberries
This little berry contains twice as much vitamin C as an orange. The “Father of Medicine,” Hippocrates, even called the elder tree his medicine chest. WebMD states that people have used black elderberries as medicine since 400 BC.
Fennel
The ancient Romans and Greeks valued fennel for its superb medicinal properties. Fennel, a member of the carrot family, has a texture similar to celery but with a licorice-like flavor. According to Biomed Research International, fennel is an effective antiaging, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antiviral, antimicrobial treatment, and so much more!
Gotu Kola
Gotu kola also called the “longevity herb,” is a staple in traditional Chinese, Indonesian, and Ayurvedic medicine. According to Healthline, the herb heals skin conditions, promotes liver health, and boosts brainpower.
Some practitioners claim that Gotu kola can help treat or prevent Alzheimer’s disease, blood clots, diabetes, stomach ulcers, indigestion, fatigue, diarrhea, anxiety, asthma, and depression. In addition, when applied to the skin, Gotu kola can speed up wound healing and reduce stretch marks and scars.
Lavender
This purple flower is used in many shampoos, soaps, and fragrances, though it’s also delicious when consumed in cakes, cookies, ice cream, smoothies, hot tea, and more. In addition, a study from The Korean Society of Nursing Science found that this nerve-calming flower is an ideal home remedy for anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Thyme
Since ancient times, thyme has been used to flavor cheese and alcohol. Ancient Egyptians even used it for embalming. Thyme has far-reaching medicinal properties, including preventing infections, lowering blood pressure, and calming common skin conditions.
In addition, thymol, found in thyme oil, is one of a naturally occurring class of compounds called biocides. These substances can destroy harmful organisms, like infectious bacteria. As a bonus, fresh thyme provides three times more vitamin C than an orange. According to Mindfood, only 28 grams of fresh thyme offers 45 milligrams of vitamin C. That’s 50% of the recommended daily value!
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May 23, 2022 at 03:59AM
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Traditional Chinese Habits, Medical Plants, And Herbs To Prevent Disease - Intelligent Living
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