Qi Vitality and Chinese medicine
A major functional concept from traditional Chinese medicine is Qi. We will refer primarily to its expression as energy. The Qi concept gives us a measure for the vitality of a person, object, or state. If Qi or certain food is of good quality, then the food will taste better and impart more Qi to the individual who consumes it. In a person, good Qi is manifested an ability to accomplish things, lack of obstruction in the body, better functioning of the internal organs, and so on. To further understand Qi, which itself is Yang quality, it is helpful to understand its Yin counterpart – Blood. Blood is Yin and the “mother of Qi”, since the nutrients in blood support and nurture Qi. At the same time Qi leads and direct for the blood to be formed and to circulate.
Whatever manifests in a person does so with that type of Qi. Someone who is graceful, for instance, has harmonious Qi; weak people lack qi; those who have strong abundant Qi; people with pure, clean minds have “refined” as opposed to “confused” Qi. Thus Qi is not only the energy behind these states of being but the intrinsic energy/substance of these states. The Qi concept, then, provides a way to describe every aspect of life.
For therapeutic point of view, there are several functional aspects of Qi. It is warming and is the source of all movement; it protects the body, flows through the acupuncture channels, and maintains activity of the body systems and organs. Sources of Qi in the body are tree-fold: from food, from the air we breathe, and from the essence of the kidneys, some part of which we are born with.
How well we utilize qi from these sources depends on how we live and on our attitudes. Qi is also transferred between people in interactions of every kind. The Qi of the cook permeates the food. Exercise, herbal therapy, acupuncture, and awareness practices such as meditation are traditional ways of clearing obstructions and maximizing Qi flow.
Qi that stagnation causes accumulations resulting in obesity, tumors, cysts, cancers, and the multitude of viral and east-related diseases that plague those with sedentary lives and refined, rich diets.
The Qi of body can be accurately measured and regulated by the diagnostic and therapeutic methods of Chinese medicine.
