Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers an extensive system of health preservation. If we were to detail every food’s properties and meridian associations, it would take days; yet its core ideas such as “harmonizing qi and blood” and “balancing nutrition” can be summarized in just a few words.

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Based on modern health concepts and lifestyle needs, the main components of TCM wellness can be summarized into six areas:

Dietary therapy, medicinal cuisine, and food-based health preservation have deep roots in Chinese culture. Food sustains life, but improper eating habits can also harm the body.
A scientific and reasonable diet promotes health, while inappropriate eating can damage the body.

From a nutritional standpoint, the principles of healthy eating include:
regular meals, dietary diversity, balanced nutrition, and proper food combinations.

One should also pay attention to hygiene and food safety, avoid binge eating, overeating, or irregular mealtimes.

In addition, TCM emphasizes the unique concept of food therapy and medicinal cuisine. In TCM, food and medicinal herbs originate from nature and share similar properties—four qi, five flavors—and can nourish different organs.

For example, pears are sweet and slightly sour, cool in nature, and enter the lung and stomach meridians. They generate fluids, moisten dryness, clear heat, and dissolve phlegm.
During the dry autumn season, eating fresh pears nourishes yin and alleviates dryness.

When suffering from lung heat, cough, or thirst, pear can moisten the lungs and relieve coughing—rock sugar stewed pear is a classic recipe.
Medicinal cuisine can also help prevent disease and support treatment. For instance, astragalus chicken soup boosts qi, strengthens immunity, and prevents illness.

In short, dietary therapy is extensive. Based on individual constitution or condition, one may select appropriate foods or medicinal dishes to strengthen the body and prevent illness.

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Lifestyle Preservation

Our ancestors lived by the principle “work at sunrise, rest at sunset.”
However, in modern society, fast-paced life, competition, late nights, and overwork are common.

While material life has improved, entertainment has also increased, leading some people to indulge excessively and damage their health.
Unhealthy habits contribute to illnesses such as cervical spondylosis, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension, appearing at younger ages.

These issues remind us that lifestyle greatly affects health.
We should develop healthy routines: regular sleep, avoiding oversleeping and staying up late, moderate entertainment, balanced work and rest; maintain cleanliness, get sunlight, ventilate living spaces; keep warm in winter and avoid excessive cooling in summer.

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Emotional Wellness

The Huangdi Neijing states:
“Sorrow disperses qi, fear makes qi descend… shock disorganizes qi, excessive thought knots qi,”
and “immoderate joy or anger harms the organs.”

These teachings emphasize the strong connection between emotions and physical health.

TCM believes the seven emotions influence organ function and qi-blood circulation, potentially causing various diseases.
Modern medicine has also shifted from a purely biological model to the bio-psycho-social model.

Studies show that anger stimulates adrenal glands, increases adrenaline, raises blood pressure and heart rate, and contributes to illnesses such as migraines and cardiovascular disease.

In a highly competitive society full of stress, negative emotions like anxiety, irritability, and depression have become significant health risk factors.

Thus, emotional wellness is essential:
self-regulate emotions, keep a calm and optimistic mindset, maintain harmonious relationships, and release stress through conversation or travel.
Reduce worries and increase joy.

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Exercise Wellness

With technological development, physical labor has decreased, while sedentary lifestyles have increased.
“Prolonged sitting” has become a major cause of modern lifestyle diseases.

Life depends on movement—exercise promotes qi and blood circulation, strengthens the body, and enhances immunity.
Activities like aerobics, jogging, walking, swimming, and ball games are suitable for most people.

But exercise should not be excessive. Overtraining can injure joints, soft tissues, and strain the heart.
Exercise should be gradual, with a level of “slight sweating,” not exhaustion.

TCM teaches that disease can arise from both “insufficiency” and “excessiveness”—thus, neither lack of exercise nor overexertion is beneficial.

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Seasonal Wellness

TCM emphasizes harmony between humans and nature, adapting daily life to seasonal changes.
“Nurture yang in spring and summer; nurture yin in autumn and winter” is a fundamental principle.

Spring – nurture yang

Go to bed later and wake earlier, get sunshine, breathe fresh air, and promote qi circulation.

Summer – protect yang

Sleep later and wake early, nap appropriately, avoid midday heat, exercise in the morning or evening.

Autumn – nourish yin and protect fluids

Go to bed early and wake early (with the rooster’s crow), dress according to weather changes, and maintain emotional stability to prevent “autumn melancholy.”

Winter – store essence and preserve yang

Sleep early and wake later; avoid early outdoor exercise.
Elderly individuals should avoid outdoor activities during snow or cold rain.
Appropriate supplementation may be needed based on personal constitution.

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Constitution-Based Wellness

All things have both common and individual characteristics, and so does TCM wellness.
If the previous five categories are universal principles, constitution-based health preservation focuses on individuality.

Just as TCM uses pattern differentiation for illness, healthy individuals also have differences.
Constitution varies due to genetics, diet, environment, climate, social and familial factors.

For example, even a simple cold manifests differently among individuals: sneezing, runny nose, headache, sore throat, fever, body aches, or fatigue—these variations reflect constitutional differences.

TCM categorizes constitution into nine types:
balanced, yang-deficient, yin-deficient, qi-deficient, phlegm-damp, damp-heat, blood stasis, qi stagnation, and inherited special constitution.
Different constitutions require different lifestyle, diet, and wellness approaches.