Ever wonder why we get sick? Is it the sushi or the germs on the shopping trolleys? What exactly should be blamed? According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we should look into three kinds of culprits.
The first one comes from external. Which means our bodies are invaded by external pathogen caused by environmental factors such as climate change. In fact, six kinds of pathogens are grouped into this category—wind, cold, heat, moist, dry, and flame—and is called “Six Pathogens.”
Having said that, these six natural phenomena responded to seasonal weather won’t get us sick unless they become abnormal or irregular, like too warm in the winter, or having excessive heat in the summer.
The second one is from internal. It comprehends not only the inborn constitution, but also the acquired constitution influenced by our emotional changes like joy, anger, anxiety, pensiveness, grief, fear, and fright (Seven Sentiments). In fact, TCM places extra importance on how these mental conditions affect our bodies and believes that if these sentiments change in excess, the functional activities of our organs will be harmed and lead to illness.
For instance, if we are constantly under huge pressure, have emotions changed abruptly, or stay in the specific emotion (e.g., grief) for a long period of time, our health will be jeopardized. It is because TCM believes that Seven Sentiments directly link to (and are generated from) our internal organs; drastic sentiments will naturally disturb the circulation of “Qi” and blood, and induce sickness.
The third and the last one belongs to none of the above, and is related to our living habits, such as ill-balanced and irregular diet; fatigue; and lack of exercise. Besides, injury is classified in this category, too.
Take unbalanced diet as an example. While too much spicy food will cause dry mouth and constipation, eating too much food in sweet taste will affect our digestive system and bring damage to our health in the long run.
So, next time when you get sick, you have a clue what to blame, or better off, know how to stay away from it (them).
Image by Jason Nicholls
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