Though there seem to be many illnesses in the world, they actually boil down to just two: blocked meridians and insufficient qi and blood.
This statement captures the core wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) health preservation. Regardless of the name or the complexity of symptoms, every ailment and discomfort ultimately traces back to problems with the body’s transportation system and energy supply. Meridians are the roads; qi and blood are the vehicles and cargo. If the roads are blocked, or if vehicles and cargo are insufficient, every corner of this intricate city falls into chaos.
The First Cause: Blocked Meridians – “Traffic Jams” in the Body
Meridians are the channel network that transports qi and blood, connects internal organs, and links the interior with the exterior. They are like a city’s road system, with major thoroughfares (the twelve primary meridians) and side streets (collaterals). Qi and blood are the vehicles and supplies traveling on them.
Why do blockages occur?
1. Emotional Stagnation: Chronic stress, depression, and anger act like randomly placed roadblocks and emotional walls, leading to qi stagnation. This is the most common cause of “traffic jams.”
2. Cold and Damp Invasion: Cold and dampness are like freezing temperatures and mudslides. They constrict the meridians (roads) and make them muddy, slowing or even halting the flow of qi and blood.
3. Injury and Strain: Bruises, surgical scars, or chronic poor posture cause muscle and tendon strain, akin to road collapses or permanent obstructions.
4. Accumulation of Waste: Metabolic waste, phlegm-dampness, and stagnant blood that aren’t cleared out in time are like garbage piling up on the roads, occupying valuable space.
What happens when meridians are blocked?
– “Blockage causes pain; malnourishment causes pain.”
· Pain where blocked: Headaches, joint pain, back/leg pain, and menstrual cramps are often due to local meridian blockages where qi and blood cannot pass, triggering pain signals.
· Functional disorders: If the meridian leading to an organ is blocked, that organ’s function will be impaired. For instance, blockage in the lung meridian may cause coughing; blockage in the stomach meridian may cause bloating.
· Growths: With chronic, severe blockage, waste in the qi and blood accumulates at the site, potentially forming hyperplasia, nodules, cysts, or tumors. It’s like a chronically jammed intersection eventually becoming a landfill.
The Second Cause: Insufficient Qi and Blood
– “Resource Scarcity” in the Body
Qi and blood are the fundamental energy and material basis for all life activities. Qi is function and motive power; blood is nourishment and carrier. Together, they form the body’s “national treasury” and “logistics system.”
Why does insufficiency occur?
1. Insufficient Supply (Low Production): The spleen and stomach are the source of qi and blood production. Poor diet, overeating, or excessive dieting damages the spleen and stomach, like a national granary suffering a poor harvest.
2. Excessive Consumption (High Expenditure): Chronic late nights, excessive thinking, overwork, frequent sexual activity, and prolonged or severe illnesses all deplete the body’s qi and blood reserves beyond their limits.
3. Continuous Leakage (Major Holes): Chronic bleeding, excessive sweating, diarrhea, or inefficient consumption caused by blockages (e.g., the body expending extra qi and blood to tackle obstructions) are like holes in the national treasury.
What happens when qi and blood are insufficient?
– “When righteous qi is stored within, evil cannot interfere.” Conversely:
· Systemic functional decline: Easy fatigue, weakness, reluctance to speak, dizziness, heart palpitations, cold hands and feet, and pale or sallow complexion.
· Weak immunity: Susceptibility to colds and illnesses, with slow recovery. This is because the body’s righteous qi (qi and blood) is too weak to defend against external pathogens.
· Signs of premature aging: Sagging skin, dry and falling hair, loose teeth, declining memory, and low energy – signals that the organs are not being properly nourished.
· Aggravated blockages: When qi and blood are insufficient, like having too few vehicles and supplies, there isn’t enough power to break through stagnation. This can even cause meridians to dry up from lack of nourishment, worsening the blockages.
The Relationship Between Them: A Vicious Cycle
Blocked meridians and insufficient qi and blood never exist in isolation. They are mutually causal, forming a vicious cycle that accelerates aging and disease:
Blockage leads to deficiency: When roads are chronically blocked, supplies (qi and blood) cannot reach distant areas, creating a state of “emptiness” there – deficiency caused by blockage.
· Deficiency worsens blockage: When qi and blood are insufficient, there is less driving force to clear the meridians and fewer raw materials to repair them, making stagnation increasingly stubborn.
Therefore, many “sub-health” conditions and chronic illnesses in modern people often present a “mixed deficiency and excess” state: overall qi and blood deficiency (emptiness) coupled with local stagnation (fullness).
The Two Pillars of Health Preservation
Health preservation and treatment essentially boil down to two tasks: dredging the meridians and nourishing qi and blood.
Understanding this root principle, all health methods can be categorized under these two major strategies:
1. Dredging the Meridians (Resolving “Blockage”)
· Physical Dredging: Tapping, scraping (gua sha), cupping, moxibustion (warming and unblocking), acupuncture, tuina (massage), and stretching. These act like dispatching tow trucks and road maintenance crews.
· Movement Dredging: Tai Chi, Baduanjin, yoga, and walking. These guide the flow of qi and blood through physical activity – “flowing water never stagnates.”
· Emotional Dredging: Maintaining a cheerful mood and managing stress is the highest form of “unblocking qi movement.”
2. Nourishing Qi and Blood (Resolving “Deficiency”)
· Dietary Nourishment: Eating nourishing foods that suit your constitution and are easy for the spleen and stomach to absorb, such as millet porridge, yam, red dates, and beef. This solidifies the “source of transformation and production.”
· Sleep Nourishment: During deep sleep, the body enters its most efficient “blood production” and “repair” mode. Avoiding late nights is the best tonic.
· Breath Nourishment: Deep, even abdominal breathing is a vital way to absorb the pure qi of nature and supplement one’s original qi.
· Mind Nourishment: Reducing excessive thinking and guarding the spirit allows qi and blood to stop being needlessly dissipated, enabling them to be stored and regenerated.
In Summary:
All illnesses originate from “blockage” and “deficiency.” Health preservation is the wisdom of managing your body’s internal “traffic” and “resources.” Whenever you feel unwell, ask yourself two questions: Which of my “roads” might be blocked? Is my “qi and blood inventory” running low? Starting from these principles, you grasp the essence of health, simplifying the complex and reaching the core.
Take care of your meridians and qi and blood – and you safeguard the very channels of your life.