Understanding some basic concepts of Chinese medicine – like energy, essence, strength, balance, and peace – can help guide us towards optimal wellness.
Resident Medical Authority: J. E. Williams, OMD, FAAIM
Remember the classic Sci-Fi flick, Blade Runner where Harrison Ford navigates a Los Angeles of the future, and street people speak a Creole mix of English, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese? That future is almost here where people and languages mix. One advantage is that we can learn a lot from traditional cultures about health.
Since the late 1970s, our interest in Chinese language has grown exponentially. Now that China is the world’s second largest economy, recently beating out Germany and Japan, we are finding more Chinese words useful in explaining things that English cannot.
But first a note on lost in transliteration. When China was still closed to the West, we used the Wade-Giles version, a Romanized system for Mandarin Chinese developed by Thomas Francis Wade, a British ambassador in China and Chinese scholar who was the first professor of Chinese at Cambridge University. When China opened the door, Beijing scholars handed up a simplified version of Chinese characters and a new system, Pinyin.
For example, take the word for “energy.” In the Wade-Giles version it’s Chi, but in Pinyin, it’s Qi. Keeping with modern usage, for this post, I use the Pinyin system for Chinese words.
The two most commonly know Chinese words are Qi and Yin Yang. We use them all the time when referring to energy and the balance of opposite forces. Let’s take a closer look at some Chinese words related to health and wellness, and for your reference, I’m using the Chinese-English Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hunan Science & Technology Press.
QI is the vital force in Nature and in the body. In order to be healthy, qi has to flow evenly through all the organs in your body.
YIN YANG are the two fundamental opposing forces in Nature, mutually exclusive and yet absolutely dependent on one another, existing in a state of dynamic interchange and flow. Maintaining balance between yin and yang is a basic requirement for wellness.
Let’s look at some other Chinese concepts for health that we find useful in understanding health.
JING is the essence of life that gives the body strength, flexibility, and adds luster to the skin, hair, and eyes. It is your genetic inheritance, your hormonal strength, especially adrenal health. For those with adrenal deficiency, according to Chinese medicine, they have depleted their jing from excessive lifestyle and years of abuse from poor food choices, sexual over indulgence, and drugs and alcohol.
JING QI is the linking of energy and essence, your inner spark. Athletes and qi gong masters both have abundant jing qi. The difference is that qi gong masters cultivate and preserve their jing qi and live long healthy lives, while athletes burn it up fast and by middle age typically suffer from overuse and the effects of abuse on their body. Those who complain of being “burnt out” are depleted of jing qi.
HE means harmonious balance. In the body, the liver is the organ most susceptible to imbalance. If your liver qi is off, your whole body is out of balance and every sort of disease can manifest.
PING also means balance, but suggests equilibrium. If your liver is in a state of restful equilibrium, nothing can shake you and your body is healthy.
HE PING means peace of mind, where yin and yang are in equilibrium. When Nature and life, and your body’s qi are in balance, the world is as if should be, every thing is in its rightful place, and the mind is at rest.
SHOU is the Chinese word for longevity, the most revered of the five aspects of good fortune. Symbols of longevity are the crane, pine trees, the tortoise, and a ripe peach. Chinese medicine offers many longevity promoting herbs, ren shen (Panax ginseng) and he shou wu (Polygonum multiflori).
Understanding these basic concepts of Chinese medicine can help us make wiser lifestyle choices, and knowing the ultimate goals of balanced health, guide us over the coarse of a lifetime towards optimal wellness and longevity.
Live long, be happy and healthy, and prosper!
**
Here’s How You Can Access Some of Dr. Williams’ Most Important Health Secrets and Protocols…
Dr. J. E. Williams has over 30 years of clinical experience in the natural health world and has had over 100,000 patient visits over that time.
We’ve recently created a selection of programs based on his work, to help you get real, tested and effective natural solutions.
These programs include how to improve thyroid function, how to read your blood tests, and how to support your adrenals naturally.
To learn more about these programs or to get one today, please click here!
About Dr. J. E. Williams, OMD, FAAIM: A pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, longevity and quality of life, Dr. Williams is the author of five books and more than two hundred articles. He practices in Sarasota, Florida and teaches at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Division of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, and NOVA Southeastern University.
Since 1967, he has lived and worked with indigenous tribes. In 2010, he founded AyniGLOBAL, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting indigenous culture, environment, and intellectual rights. His current work is with the Q’ero people of the Peruvian Andes.
He divides his time between the Gulf of Mexico and Peru, where he carries on non-profit work and teaches Earth-based wisdom and heart-centered spirituality, and spends as much time in the high Andean wilderness and deep Amazonian rainforest as possible.
To follow him on Twitter, please click here!
1:48 pm on May 26th, 2011
Gee, thanks for this. These terms have always been a little mind boggling for me.
2:42 pm on May 26th, 2011
Those are very clear, concise descriptions of the chinese philosophy and system of health, thankyou,
it really clarifies a lot.
5:55 pm on May 26th, 2011
Nice one Kevin!
4:11 am on May 27th, 2011
this words cant be really chinese.
China is a country of struggles and movement. and with changing borders. in a no border no nation dream, this words are also mongolian asian, sibiric, russian, persian, afghan,….
its more pop culture to label that chines. probably the origin and trueth meaning is more loosly and divers. im sure for all this words are very divers meanings in local culture.
western people steal indegenous knowledge and after a time they reconsilate. they try to give good vibes back.
One thought maybe you and dr. william just need money*
If u are common with ethnology and “third world countries” which are develeping in their way you notice the things have more than one camera who reports.
So dear rennegate health readers. be cautious on such expression. Probably its working and reacting in your senses. as well its in real life more divers.
so the only thing to find it out and is disconnect to this article and connect to real people. chinese mongolian, different chinese ethnecies.
Do you know how much languages are spoken in china??
look here.
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=china
than you will notice this cant be really true.
There is a deeper more honest answer
take care guys follow ure heart. be cautious on who wanna seel u stuff*
8:42 am on May 27th, 2011
First of all it was clarified in the article where the meanings came from. How “things” were simplified.
But as far as the complexities of chinese medicine … yes it was and is different in different regions. I have read how things were ‘simplified’ for America, after all people all over the world know that Americans like things simple and straight forward (even if it doesn’t work), otherwise we don’t pay attention!
So like Dr. J.E. Williams he has had to simplify just to get our attention. We need to learn what to take and what to leave at the table with all things we read or hear etc.
Of course he wants to sell something we all need to make a living. In this case does the chinese medicine style work…? You decide.
We do the very same with drugs. Science takes a plant, (herb). Breaks it down, finds the ‘active’ part, (that works on the problem). Then reproduces chemically and sells it as a cure all. Simple right?
In this case simple would be take the damn herb stupid. But then we have brain washing thrown into the mix.
That’s another article. LOL