A fresh approach with traditional health tips

By Melissa Carr, BSc, DrTCM

Some of the best Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) tips are founded on common sense and moderation with long-term commitments. There’s a reason why this medical practice has survived thousands of years, outliving trend after trend and fad after fad.

One of TCM’s oldest texts emphasized illness prevention. “In the old days, the sages treated disease by preventing illness before it began, just as a good government or emperor was able to take the necessary steps to avert war,” it said.

Furthermore, “If someone digs a well only when thirsty, or forges weapons only after becoming engaged in battle, aren’t these actions too late?”

Going back to basics and fundamentals with our patients is truly helpful because these are the things that are often the most impactful for the long-run. Following these tips will not only help with current issues but can also help stave off future problems.

Make Routine, Routine

Just like our bodies have bones and buildings have structural frames—without which the person and the house would collapse—the framework of a schedule is important. For a tree to be strong, it must be both solid enough to stay standing tall and flexible enough to bend with the wind.

While structure is important for everyone, in TCM, it is particularly important to those with Liver (a Wood element) imbalances. One of the signs of a Liver imbalance is when a symptom regularly arises on schedule (e.g. skin always breaking out before a period or migraines every Monday) or when patterns that should be regular lose consistency (e.g. irregular menstrual cycles or sleep cycles that are all over the map). One of my teachers in TCM school would help us learn about the organ systems and patterns of diagnosis by linking character descriptions to each organ. The Liver, he said, is like a military general who emphasizes the importance of routine and order. When his control is challenged, emotions of anger, frustration, and irritation arise. Keeping a few regular routines (e.g. sleep, eating times, movement practice, meditation) helps soothe the Liver and allows for a greater ability to handle both physical and mental stressors.

One of the most valuable routines we can do is wake and go to bed around the same time, regardless of weekday or weekend. Doing so will make Mondays less Monday-like, and it may be easier to wake without need of an alarm. To follow classical TCM recommendations more closely, adjust sleep and wake times with the seasons, allotting more sleep time in the winter and more vigorous activities in the summer. 

Eat at consistent times in the day. Perhaps this is three square meals a day or maybe it’s five small meals, but don’t randomly eat at based on workload or stress. Doing the latter makes us prone to choosing less healthy foods or eat too little or too much.

Additionally, while workout and meditation plans are common victims of neglect when things get busy, they can be placed into the “non-negotiable” category of bookings that are prioritized as not allowed to be deleted from the calendar. 

Adjust Seasonally

For those who live in climates that change according to the month, doing the same thing year-round may not be the healthiest approach. Thus, while having a routine in place is valuable, it’s best to know when and how to tweak it.

If the weather is cold and damp, eat more soups, stews, and slow-cooked meals. Enjoy more salads and raw foods during the warmer months of summer.

In the winter, dress warmly, sleep longer, and allot time for inward reflection. When spring arrives, get outside more and stretch, wear loose clothing, and practice equanimity. During summer months, take advantage of the longer days by spending more waking hours in active pursuit, eat lighter foods, and hydrate well. With autumn’s arrival, let go of things and thoughts that are no longer of service, practice breath work, and start to slow down.

Move Your Qi

One of the more common patterns TCM practitioners see today is “Qi stagnation.” There’s an ancient expression that states that if there is pain, there is Qi stagnation. Since pain is one of the most widespread health issues, contributing further to depression, weight gain, muscle loss, and a slew of other health and social problems, and since many people spend much of their day inactive, sitting in front of a computer, the need to move is greater than ever. And it doesn’t need to be complicated. 

Tell patients to think about the activities they want to be able to do 10, 20, or 30 years from now, and make sure them can do them (or are working to be able to do them) now. Many elderly people in Asian countries can do a deep sitting squat and are able to pick themselves up off the ground without assistance. That’s because they’ve been doing that for most of their lives with squat toilets, futon beds on the floor, or sitting on the ground. 

Even if there’s no intention of using a squat toilet or sleeping on the ground, being able to get up in the event of a fall and having the joint mobility and muscle strength to do those activities, translates into a lot of other things. If flexibility, balance, or strength are issues now, it’s important to seek help to address them and keep working on them daily.

One of the challenges for those aged 65 and above is falling. “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up” isn’t just a commercial tagline for a beeper that will bring someone to help. It’s a serious issue that can cause someone to end up in worse medical distress. If a hip fracture is caused by the fall, it is further compounded by an increased mortality rate in the year following the break. Fall prevention is a better solution, so work on balance now. Many TCM practitioners and followers recommend tai chi or Qi Gong, both of which can help with balance. Yoga is another option.

But, what about something simpler and less time consuming? Why not use a habit already in place? Tell patients to try standing on one foot while brushing their teeth. If they feel wobbly, they should place one hand on the counter or a wall to provide support or use the non-standing foot as a kickstand with toes touching the ground. If it’s super easy, moving the arms around or closing the eyes ups the challenge level.

 Be a Superior Doctor

There’s a Chinese proverb that translates as, “Superior doctors prevent disease. Mediocre doctors treat impending disease. Inferior doctors treat actual disease.”

While patients most often come in with specific symptoms and diseases that need treatment, let’s all be “superior doctors” as well, helping them to prevent diseases in their future.

Editor’s note: Though TCM uses organ names in diagnosis, this doesn’t necessarily correlate to the actual physical organs. To differentiate meaning, TCM organs are capitalized.