compassion, duke jing, fate, lessons, punishment, qi, wisdom, yanzi

Yanzi: A Statesman Who Used Wisdom to Resolve Difficult Situations (Part 2)

As discussed in Part 1, Yanzi was a famous statesman, philosopher, and diplomat of Qi during China’s Spring and Autumn Period. He is known for his great wisdom in handling complex and seemingly impossible situations.  Providing for those who are suffering A person’s good words and deeds are worthy of praise and encourage others to ...

Tatiana Denning

Two turtles representing wisdom.

The Secret Key to Health and Longevity

The modern view of achieving health and longevity is diet, regular exercise, and resorting to drugs or supplements. Despite all the advances in contemporary science and technology to advance health and longevity, we are far from finding this elixir. Huangdi Neijing (a classical Chinese medical book written thousands of years ago) reminds us that nourishing the ...

Monica Song

Worried Asian businessman holding his head.

How the ‘Four Breaks and Four Seals’ Help Nourish Your Righteous Qi and Health

Among the earliest forms of health prevention passed on in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are what is referred to as the “Four Breaks and Four Seals.” Since ancient times, traditional Chinese culture has paid great attention to health preservation by nurturing righteous qi. Rather than just treating the symptoms once an illness surfaces, traditional Chinese ...

Hermann Rohr

A traditional Chinese medicine doctor holding a scale and balancing the amount of herb with a weight.

The Five Elements Theory and How It Applies to Everyday Life

I want to discuss one of my favorite topics, the five elements theory in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and how you can actually use it to stay on top of your health and wellbeing.  Imagine a theory based on the accumulated knowledge, trial, and error of physicians more than 2,000 years old.  Incredible? Well, get ...

Hermann Rohr

The Taiji symbol of yin and yang.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Human Immune System

Maintaining a strong immune system is a key factor in ensuring that diseases are kept away as much as possible. While modern medicine explains immunity in terms of cells, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) looks at immunity from the perspective of the body’s vital energy called qi. The immune system As far as the immune system ...

Emma Lu

A woman running at sunset.

The Role of the Kidneys in Traditional Chinese Medicine

The kidneys are important organs in the human body, regulating body fluids and expelling waste through urine. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) views kidneys as governing fluids like saliva, perspiration, tears, and lubricating joints. The organ is said to be critical to the function of the ears and bones. The role of the kidneys According to ...

Emma Lu

A glass of water.

Keep Key Parts of the Body Warm to Fight the Winter Cold

When it gets cold, what is the best thing to do to avoid catching a winter chill? There are four major parts of the body you must always keep warm in fighting against the winter cold, and when they are warm, the whole body becomes warm. When the temperatures are low, you must use warm ...

Helen London

A winter landscape.

The Stress Connection: Lower Back Pain

Have you noticed that you have acute flare-ups of lower back pain more often when you are stressed? Whether it is a problem at work or an argument at home, it can be said that we carry the weight of our emotions on our backs. Conversely, when we are in pain, it makes us feel ...

Nspirement Staff

A back massage.

Healthy Aging: From the Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective

An illustration from a classic text of Confucian filial piety shows a son amusing his elderly parents by pretending to be a child. Aging is natural, and healthy aging is achievable. Although the risk of disease and disability clearly increases with advancing age, poor health is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Many of the ...

Emma Lu

healthy ageing according to traditional chinese medicine black and white photo of old lady with white hair looking at a baby