Detailed Discussion on Health Preservation: Illness Arises from "Excess Use"
The fundamental purpose of TCM health preservation is to delay aging, prevent disease, and extend life. The *Suwen·Jingmai Bie Lun* states: "In spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the four seasons and yin-yang changes—illness arises from excess use." By "excess use," it means going beyond normal limits and violating the inherent laws of things.
Wisdom in Health Preservation: Adapt to the Four Seasons
TCM holds that humans are closely connected with nature, and human life activities must adapt to natural changes to survive; this is known as "harmony between heaven and humanity" in the *Nei Jing*. Thus, "following yin-yang and harmonizing with methods" is key. Regarding the seasonal changes in yin-yang and climate, wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire—under normal conditions—are called the "Six Qi." When excessive, they become the "Six Evils," which serve as pathogenic factors. Adapting to the seasons transforms harm into benefit.
Regulating Emotions and Maintaining Mental Clarity
Life activities depend on the smooth flow of qi. Normal emotions maintain dynamic balance in blood and qi circulation, while imbalances lead to disordered qi. Therefore, the *Nei Jing* repeatedly emphasizes emotional stability as essential for longevity. The *Suwen·Shanggu Zhen Tian Lun* clearly warns: "Tranquil and empty-minded, true qi follows; spirit remains inwardly guarded—how could illness arise?" Human joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are normal physiological expressions, but when extreme or prolonged, they violate normal limits—this is "excess use." At such times, the seven emotions become pathogenic factors: anger injures the liver, joy injures the heart, worry injures the spleen, grief injures the lungs, and fear injures the kidneys. The *Nei Jing* repeatedly stresses the dangers of extreme emotions. For example, the *Lingshu·Kou Wen Pian* says: "Grief and sorrow cause the heart to move, and when the heart moves, all five zang and six fu organs tremble." The *Suwen·Shengqi Tongtian* repeatedly proposes stillness practices like independent mental focus and breath retention as vital tools for preventing disease and avoiding aging, emphasizing: "Calmness closes the skin and flesh, so even strong winds and toxic influences cannot harm you."
Adjusting Diet: Grains Are Fundamental
Digestion and transformation of food rely on healthy spleen and stomach function, allowing all organs to receive nourishment from food essence and thus maintain vitality. Hence, longevity emphasizes the spleen and stomach, referred to as the "granary official" and "foundation of postnatal life." Moreover, a healthy spleen and stomach can resist external pathogens; thus, Zhang Zhongjing said: "When the spleen is strong throughout the four seasons, one is not easily invaded by pathogens." Overeating, fasting, extreme temperatures in food, or selective eating all constitute "excess use" and are detrimental to health. As the *Suwen·Shengqi Tongtian Lun* notes, "moderation in diet" is one of the necessary conditions for living out one’s full lifespan and reaching a hundred years.
Additionally, dietary diversity is emphasized, avoiding overindulgence in any single flavor. The *Suwen·Zangqi Fa Shi Lun* states: "Five grains nourish, five fruits assist, five livestock provide benefits, five vegetables supplement." This ensures comprehensive nutritional needs while balancing strengths and weaknesses.
Movement and Guided Exercises: Preventing Disease and Aging
One fundamental method for preventing aging and extending life is physical movement and guided exercises. The *Lüshi Chunqiu* once stated: "Running water does not rot; a door hinge does not decay." Although the *Nei Jing* emphasizes stillness in longevity theory, it already stressed that moderate exercise prevents illness and aging: "Maintain regular routines, avoid excessive labor," which contributes to health and longevity. Excessive labor or activity beyond one's capacity is considered "excess use." For instance, the *Suwen·Xuan Ming Wu Qi Pian* warns: "Five types of fatigue damage: prolonged viewing harms blood, prolonged lying harms qi, prolonged sitting harms flesh, prolonged standing harms bones, prolonged walking harms tendons." Here, "prolonged" means "excess use"—the main cause of disease.
Strengthening the Kidneys and Preserving Essence: Protecting Innate Vitality
TCM views the kidneys as the "root of innate constitution." The brain is the sea of marrow, and kidney qi connects to the brain. The kidneys store essence, which transforms into qi, and qi further transforms into spirit. Robust kidney qi signifies abundant brain marrow, ample essence, and strong bone marrow. The *Suwen·Shanggu Zhen Tian Lun* clearly states: "Kidney essence governs the entire process of growth and aging in the body—life, death, early or late demise all depend on it." Thus, health preservation primarily focuses on protecting innate vitality and avoiding wasteful loss. The *Suwen·Shanggu Zhen Tian Lun* says: "Taking what is false as normal, indulging in drunkenness and sex, exhausting one’s essence through desire, dissipating one’s true nature, failing to maintain balance, not regulating the spirit in time, pursuing only momentary pleasure, going against the natural course of life, having irregular daily habits—thus, one declines by fifty years old."
In short, nothing should be excessive. Only by aligning with natural laws and harmonizing yin and yang can one achieve: "strong zang organs, harmonious blood and qi, relaxed muscles, dense skin, unimpaired circulation of nutrient and defensive qi, slow and steady breathing, regulated energy flow, proper digestion by the six fu organs, even distribution of body fluids, all functioning normally—thus enabling long life."