Traditional Chinese Medicine and Longevity      

The following is a quote is from the opening paragraphs of the Huang Ti Nei Jing, also known as The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, written some time between 475 BC and 220 BCE.

The Yellow Emperor once addressed Tien Shih, the divinely inspired teacher: "I have heard that in ancient times the people lived to be over a hundred years, and yet they remained active and did not become decrepit in their activities. But nowadays people reach only half of that age and yet become decrepit and failing. Is it because the world changes from generation to generation? Or is it that mankind is becoming negligent of the laws of nature?" 

Chi Po answered: "In ancient times those people who understood Tao (the way of self-cultivation) patterned themselves upon the Yin and the Yang (the two principles of nature) and they lived in harmony with the arts of divination.

"There was temperance in eating and drinking. Their hours of rising and retiring were regular and not disorderly and wild. By these means the ancients kept their bodies united with their souls, so as to fulfill their allotted span completely, measuring unto a hundred years before they passed away.

"Nowadays people are not like this, they use wine as beverage and they adopt recklessness as usual behavior. They enter the chamber (of love) in an intoxicated condition; their passions exhaust their vital forces; their cravings dissipate their true essence; they do not know how to find contentment within themselves; they are not skilled in the control of their spirits. They devote all their attention to the amusement of their minds, thus cutting themselves off from the joys of long life. Their rising and retiring are without regularity. For these reasons they reach only one half of the hundred years and then they degenerate."

 It goes without saying that the principles and practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine came out of the historical Chinese civilization. This civilization was unique in many ways, and one of these was the society's emphasis on a unique "Culture of Health".

Reverence for longevity was foremost in this traditional culture. This arose not only from the belief that a hundred years was a natural lifespan, but also from the teachings of Confucius. Society was structured around the ideas this philosopher put forth, which created a strict hierarchy where men were superior to women, and older people superior to younger. The Emperor was superior to everyone, and all other statesmen and magistrates were part of this hierarchy as well. In this scheme, each individual knew his or her place, and thus (theoretically) society could run smoothly.

So, in traditional Chinese culture, if you ever wanted to be in a place where you could relax, pursue some hobbies and have some respect and power, you would need to live to a ripe old age, and you would want to be healthy to enjoy it. Old age then, considered a "reward from Heaven," was something to which all aspired.

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a comprehensive life science. Not only can it treat imbalance and pathology, but it is replete with insight and instructions on how to live in balance and harmony in order to remain healthy, so that one might be more likely to fulfill a natural life span.

It is a model of health and healthy living with insight on everything including how and what to eat, how to sleep, behave, have sex, move, exercise, think, breathe and more.

The topic is vast and volumes have been written about it. In this and following newsletters, I will delve into this subject a bit and share some Chinese medical theory and practices that can help us live a healthy and happy 100 years.

(And of course, everything to do with Chinese Medicine is in this category. Google anything to find out, and/or feel free to go to my archives page.)

In the meantime, for the curious who want more specifics, I can recommend the book: Imperial Secrets of Health and Longevity.  And, if any of you are curious about the The Yellow Emperor's Classic here is a link. 

And speaking of longevity, one of the more common concerns with anyone getting up there in years is arthritis. This condition can be mild and only slightly annoying, or it can be severe and quite painful. Of course younger people can have arthritis too, but it is in the aging population where it shows up more consistently.

Don't despair, however, if this sounds familiar, as Chinese Medicine has great treatments for arthritis. All arthritis is not created equal, and, as usual, Chinese Medical practitioners always treat an individual and not a disease category per se. Number of treatments needed for relief will vary, of course, depending on the severity of the condition, how long someone has had it, etc.

If you would like to know more, please click here.

And, check out Curing Arthritis Naturally With Chinese Medicine, a book for lay people which gives plenty of advice for self-care along with elucidating pertinent concepts of Chinese medical theory.

Many people are at least casually familiar with the herb ginseng. Its Chinese name "ren shen" literally means "man root", as it looks quite like a human body (without a head). It is used primarily as an immune stimulant and cardiotonic and has had quite a reputation throughout its history for curing many ills.

There are several kinds of ginseng (some of which aren't properly ginseng at all but carry the name) and many different grades and potencies. It can get confusing, so if you are thinking you might like to try it, I would recommend seeing a practitioner first so you can be paired with what's appropriate (which honestly might not be ginseng at all but some other herbal concoction).

In Chinese history and even currently, ginseng is known as a virilific, and older Asian gentlemen often collect the sometimes very pricey roots and ingest them to increase sexual potency as they age. (There is a whole category of these virilifics I will write about later. There is also a whole tradition of sexual practices, classically focused on men, to increase health, sexual potency and longevity).

Anyhow, I hope you are curious about this famous and very special herb. To read more click here.  

Also, I want to recommend the first several minutes of this video which I think is pretty cool.  (The following 20 minutes is about American Ginseng cultivation and culture in the southeast US, which I find interesting but might not be everyone's cup of tea.)