The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic has created a panic in the general public for the past few months. While modern medicine has not developed an effective treatment option against the disease, many has turned their interest to the alternative medicine. Modern medicine tends to study human body in a microscopic approach, whereas traditional Chinese medicine, TCM, tends to understand the physical shell according to its relationship with the universe, or the nature that surrounds us.
Wu-Yun-Liu-Qi theory is one great example that could illustrate and help us understand how the ancient philosophy could still be applied in modern days. Wu-Yun-Liu-Qi, which is literally translated to the relationship between the movement of 5 elements & the flow of 6 climatic energies. Five elements are the symbols ancient Chinese used to represent the status and the quality of phenomena in both nature and human body. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, each could be attributed to the energy of spring, summer, mid-summer, autumn, and winter, or in terms of body viscera, Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lung, and Kidney. Whereas the six climatic energies are Wind, Heat, Fire, Dampness, Dryness, and Coldness, which are derived from the energy transition in the flow of Yin & Yang, and they could also be used to represent six different directions in a given time and space of the year. Combining with the study of astronomical calendar, the ancient philosophers discovered there is a rhythmic energy change in the universe according to a 60 years cycle. TCM is a holistic medicine modality, focusing on the relationship between human body and the natural environment, and believing health could be influenced by the surrounding climatic conditions.
According to the energy distribution calendar deduced from the Wu-Yun-Liu-Qi theory, the general trend of elemental energy in 2019 is the lack of earth, and the seasonal energies are wind and fire, meaning the annual climate is often erratic, and the epidemic tends to occur toward the end of year. On the other hand, the general trend of elemental energy in 2020 is the excess of metal, and the seasonal energies are fire and dryness, indicating this year the climate would likely be both hot and dry. However, due to the abnormal warm winter energy, creating an internal heat trapped in the external cold condition; as a result, the symptoms tend to manifest in the following fashion: aversion of coldness, cough with nasal discharge, fever, dry mouth, sore throat, and sometimes constipation. Looking back at the manifestation of the 2019-nCoV, the patients tend to present symptoms between common cold and flu to that of a severe pneumonia, such as fever, fatigue, weakness of limbs, cough with phlegm, and other upper respiratory tract symptoms; whereas, in the severe cases, there could be signs of pulmonary infiltration such as chest pain, breathing difficulty …and etc..
Although it is difficult to alter the external environmental conditions during this epidemic season, there is something we could manage with our internal body environment. Human body possesses the ability to naturally self-heal, even though this capability is usually in a dormant stage. In TCM, we believe this ability could be re-activated through the stimulus of acupuncture, herbal remedies, and food cure advice, and as a result, harmonizing the relationship between our bodies and the natural environment, and thus, improving the stability of life. Therefore, besides avoiding harmful environments and quarantine, when talking about disease prevention, TCM values the importance of protecting one’s “righteous Qi”, or in modern language, our immune system. This could be achieved via maintaining a balance in our emotions, life style, and diet.
1. Emotion:
TCM theory believes emotions play a key role in our everyday health, emphasizing the interaction between our emotions and physical body health. For instance, the 7 emotions, happiness, anger, sadness, worry, grief, fear, and surprise, are often linked to the cause of diseases. Therefore, in the text of “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine” which dates back around 300 BC, it was recorded that, “when one could eliminate unnecessary desires, the body would be filled with righteous Qi, and when one could maintain the harmony of emotion, there would be no place for ailments in the body”. Modern research also shows that emotion could be linked to lowered immunity because negative feeling such as stress, sadness, and worry could cause a spike in the hormone cortisol, which in turn suppresses the immune system. Thus, keeping an optimistic and positive emotion is not only a key factor in disease prevention, but also helpful when the patient is in the recovery stage as well.
2. Life Style:
Living according to the 4 seasonal energies is also an important aspect in preserving health for disease prevention. In the text of “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine”, it advocates, “one should preserve the Yang energy in the spring and summer time, while preserving the Yin energy in autumn and winter…and one who preserves would not sick in the following season ”. In plain words, it emphasizes people should act in the right timing according to the flow of nature. For example, if an individual did not live a regular life style in the winter time, one could become sick in the spring due to a depletion of the righteous Qi, or a person’s energy reserve, hence lowering the body’s immune function. Such behaviors include but not limit to staying up (burning the midnight oil), excess sexual activities, overthinking or overworking without a proper rest…and etc.. Therefore, TCM practitioners often strongly advice patients to live a healthy life style so there is enough energy reserve in our bodies which could be distributed properly when fighting disease.
3. Diet:
Lastly, maintaining a balanced diet is a key focus in TCM for disease prevention. In TCM theory, stomach and spleen are the major viscera that form the digestive system, which is thought to be the source of our post-natal energy as it participates heavily in the breaking down of food and absorption of nutrients. As a result, practitioners would often advice patients to avoid excess eating or hunger, and staying away from foods that are cold in nature or heavy in taste (ie. greasy & salty food). Overeating could lead to indigestion, while not eating on time or excess starving could damage our stomach, and foods that are cold and heavy in nature would require more energy supply from our bodies to digest. If one could follow the guide to a balanced diet, there would be less energy needed or wasted in the digestive system, and more energy available to participate in the immune function and the later healing process, as the body sets up natural defense against foreign antigens and promotes repairs of damage caused by the immune battle.
Combining the above ideas with the Wu-Yun-Liu-Qi theory, TCM practitioners could select herbal teas and food recipes to balance the lack of earth and the excess of metal energy due to the external environment, such as ingredients that promote the stomach and spleen Qi, boosting our body’s immunity, and components that are cool and nourishing in nature to clear the excess lung heat and desiccation, in order to harmonize the internal body environment and the external climatic condition, and as a result, meeting the goal of disease prevention.
Here are the 3 recommended food cure recipes:
Four Gentlemen Chicken Soup
Chicken x1, American Ginseng 15g, Wild Yam x1 piece, Chinese Tuckahoe 15g, Job’s Tear 30g, Ginger slices x3, Red Dates x5, salt & cooking wine;
Great Stomach and Spleen tonics, providing a quick boost to the immune system. American Ginseng and Wild Yam are chosen to build up body’s defensive function, complimenting with the Chinese Tuckahoe and Job’s Tear to eliminate excess heat and dampness in the body. Best prepared using a pressure cooker to maximize the nutrients retained.
Lung Nourishing Wood Ear Sweet Soup
Dried Lily Bulb 15g, Chinese Chickpea White Fungus (Wood Ear) 30g, Sweet & Bitter Almonds 5-10g, Lotus Seed 30g, Red Dates x3, Ice Sugar;
Lily Bulb and the White Fungus are great lung nourishments, providing a soothing effect to the desiccation resulted from the hot and dry external environment. Almond is known for its effect in easing the cough and dispelling phlegm, while Lotus Seed is great for building up the digestive system and help with the production of body’s post-natal energy.
Heat Quenching Sweet & Sour Tea:
Smoked Plum x1, Astragalus 15g, Reed Root 3g, Chinese Magnolcavine Fruit 3g;
Astragalus is traditionally used as an energy tonic and great for boosting up the immune function. Chinese Magnolcavine Fruit is known for its flavorful taste; Reed root is cold in nature and well-known for its heat clearing property. Together providing a soothing comfort to the dry mouth and throat.
