“Affluent Diseases”—commonly referred to in Chinese as “wealth-related diseases”—refer to a class of chronic, noncommunicable diseases closely associated with affluent lifestyles, with the core contributing factors being excessive nutrition and insufficient physical activity.
These conditions do not constitute a single disease but rather a collective term for a group of metabolic disorders. The most common types are as follows:
Common Types
Obesity: Characterized by energy intake far exceeding energy expenditure, it is the core manifestation of affluent diseases and often leads to insulin resistance.
Diabetes: Primarily type 2 diabetes, which is directly linked to a high-sugar, high-fat diet.
Hypertension: A high-salt diet, stress, and obesity are the main contributing factors; it can damage the heart, brain, and blood vessels.
Hyperlipidemia: Abnormally high levels of cholesterol or triglycerides in the blood, which can lead to atherosclerosis.
Gout: A disturbance in purine metabolism leads to elevated uric acid levels and severe joint pain, commonly affecting the big toe.
“Affluenza” is rarely seen in impoverished regions and among low-income populations, hence its name; obesity is also frequently accompanied by complications such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, gallstones, osteoarthritis, and obstructive sleep apnea.
Why Are They Called “Affluence-Related Diseases”?
In areas with more developed economies and higher standards of living, people have easier access to high-calorie, high-fat, and high-sugar foods year-round. Combined with sedentary lifestyles and lack of physical activity, the incidence of these diseases is higher. Research on China’s “nutritional transition” also shows that as malnutrition has been alleviated, affluence-related diseases are rapidly increasing.
A Story About Keeping Goldfish
Once, when I visited the flower and bird market, I saw some adorable little goldfish in an aquarium, so I bought a tank full of them to take home. Every day after work, I’d come home, change the water for the little goldfish, and admire their leisurely, carefree beauty as they swam about. The negative emotions that had built up during the workday would gradually fade away without me even noticing, and I grew to love this pair of little goldfish more and more.
One day, I suddenly had to go on a business trip. Before leaving, I reminded my wife to remember to feed the little goldfish every day. To my dismay, after a few days away, when I returned home, the little goldfish had already turned belly-up. I was heartbroken. Later, while passing by the flower and bird market by chance, I saw a goldfish stall again and casually complained to the owner. After hearing my complaint, the vendor asked some questions and learned that the water hadn’t been changed for several days. He said very seriously, “Without flowing water for a long time, impurities build up in the water, making it sticky. This leads to an increase in various bacteria and microorganisms, and with insufficient oxygen in the water, the goldfish naturally cannot survive.”
Hearing the vendor’s words, I finally realized that the little goldfish had died because I hadn’t made sure the water was changed.
We often say, “Flowing water never rots, and a door hinge never decays.” Come to think of it, isn’t the human body exactly the same?
If we compare a person who has just died to a living person, the difference isn’t simply a matter of having one more or one fewer organ, nor is it a matter of the body’s pH balance. Rather, it is the yang energy—the yang energy flowing within the body—that has vanished, causing life’s activities to cease.
It is solely through the warmth and propulsion of this yang energy that the body’s qi and blood can circulate normally. With this normal circulation, the five zang organs and six fu organs can interact through mutual generation and restriction; the limbs, bones, five senses, and nine orifices can be nourished; and vital functions can return to their normal state.
Zhang Jiebin wrote in *The Supplementary Wings to the Lijing: Treatise on the Great Treasure*: “Man is a microcosm; with yang, he lives; without yang, he dies.” The *Huangdi Neijing* also states: “Yang transforms into qi; yin forms substance.” The role of yang qi in the human body is to propel, consolidate, and nourish, manifesting as organ functions; whereas yin qi manifests as the physical organs themselves.
When yang qi is impaired, the body first manifests functional disorders. It is akin to a person carrying a load: whereas they could once carry about 100 jin, they can now only carry 60 or 70 jin, yet the internal organs show no organic abnormalities.
Clinically, many patients are like this: they feel generally unwell, yet hospital test results come back normal. For mild symptoms, hospitals diagnose a “sub-health” condition; for slightly more severe cases, they assign a specific “syndrome”; and if the condition is even more severe and the patient complains frequently, doctors may suspect a psychological issue, considering it a mental illness—some even diagnose it as psychosis—unaware that these are all “Yang disorders,” meaning the pathological changes are located in the Yang aspect and have not yet affected the Yin aspect. Patients are not “sick”; they are genuinely ill—not healthy!
Abnormalities in the body’s yang qi function fall into one of two categories: deficiency or excess.
Now that living standards have improved and basic needs are met, most people suffer not from nutritional deficiency but from nutritional excess. This leads to a physically robust appearance and organs that are not deficient in themselves. So why do so many people feel generally unwell?
Yang energy is generated from the Yin aspect—just as in the story of kerosene burning that we discussed earlier. The body’s Yang energy is also generated through the Yin aspect. If the Yin aspect is deficient, the generation of Yang energy will naturally be insufficient, and we need to nourish the Yin aspect; but if the Yin aspect is not deficient and Yang energy is still insufficiently generated, then there is an obstruction in the process of “Yin transforming into Yang,” and the transformative function has deteriorated.
What is the cause of this? The problem lies in “movement”—we simply don’t move enough!
“Flowing water does not rot; the hinge of a door does not decay!” Stagnant water is prone to decay because it does not flow. Excessive nutrients (primarily nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.) are constantly introduced, causing various aquatic animals and plants to proliferate and grow abnormally, ultimately leading to water eutrophication.
Similarly, if the human body only consumes food without engaging in physical activity, an excess of nutrients accumulates within the body, leading to a state of “eutrophication.”
Nowadays, more and more people are buying cars; they drive when going out and take the elevator when returning home. The number of calories burned each day is negligible. At the same time, however, material living standards are rising, and large amounts of high-protein, high-fat foods are consumed. Without proper metabolism, this ultimately leads to “eutrophication,” resulting in high blood lipids, high blood viscosity, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar… …With so many “highs,” people feel fatigued, dizzy, and have heavy, sluggish limbs. For such patients, treatment must focus on promoting the metabolism of nutrients, increasing exercise to facilitate conversion, and actively burning off excess energy within the body. This allows qi and blood to flow smoothly, transforming “stagnant water” into “living water,” thereby curing many illnesses.
A patient who had been suffering from chronic dizziness came to see me. He said his physical exam results showed “the three highs”—high blood lipids, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. After taking antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and lipid-lowering medications, his biochemical indicators improved, but the dizziness persisted and was not cured. Moreover, if he stopped taking the antihypertensive medication, his blood pressure would rise; if he continued taking it, his blood pressure remained low, but the dizziness worsened.
Looking at the patient’s obese physique and dark purple lips, I said, “Your condition cannot be cured by medication alone. Just ride a bicycle to and from work every day, and stick with it for three months—you’ll be fine.”
The look in the patient’s eyes told me he wasn’t quite convinced.
I explained to him, “You don’t get enough daily exercise, you have too many social engagements, you burn too few calories, and you consume too many nutrients. This has led to an excess of nutrients in your body and a stagnation of qi and blood. All you need is more exercise, and your condition will naturally improve.”
The patient decided to give it a try. He stopped driving and committed to biking to and from work every day—40 minutes each way, morning and evening. After a month, his dizziness disappeared, and his blood pressure stabilized. When he returned for a follow-up visit, he seemed like a completely different person. His confidence soared, and he voluntarily pledged to exercise regularly from then on, vowing to keep biking to work whenever the weather permitted—as long as it wasn’t windy or raining.
Subsequently, I prescribed a health-promoting wine for the patient: onion wine.
5 bottles of dry red wine and 0.75 kilograms of onions. Pour the 5 bottles of dry red wine (7.5 L) into a 10-liter glass bottle, add the onions (washed, dried, and sliced), let it steep for 10–15 days, then strain to remove the solids. Drink 50–100 ml daily, divided into one or two servings.
This wine may seem simple, but it offers benefits for many ailments. In the *Compendium of Materia Medica*, Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty recorded that wine has the effects of “warming the lower back and kidneys, preserving a youthful complexion, and enhancing cold resistance.” Wine contains significant amounts of phenolic compounds such as anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and tannins, which have pronounced vasodilatory effects and enhance vascular permeability. Onions are hailed abroad as the “Queen of Vegetables.” They contain prostaglandin A, allyl sulfides, sulfur-containing amino acids, and trace amounts of selenium, which have powerful vasodilatory effects. These compounds can reduce resistance in the coronary arteries, promote blood circulation, lower blood pressure, reduce vascular fragility, and prevent thrombosis.
Through my observations in daily life, I’ve noticed that eating onions tends to cause flatulence, and the farts are quite smelly—in fact, this is precisely a manifestation of the onion’s ability to regulate qi. Wine promotes blood circulation, while onions regulate qi; when combined, they ensure both qi and blood flow smoothly. For patients with “three highs” (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol), long-term, moderate consumption is highly beneficial.
For those on a tight budget who find dry red wine too expensive, you can also buy grapes and make your own wine at home—it costs very little and yields the same results.
Based on the amount of wine you plan to make, choose a fermentation container—glass jars, glass crocks, glass bottles, or ceramic crocks are all suitable. Wash it thoroughly and let it air dry.
Sort through the grapes you’ve purchased (please choose purple grapes), removing any spoiled or shriveled berries. Soak them, then rinse thoroughly and let them air-dry until no water droplets remain on the surface. Do not rub the grapes with your hands while washing, as the fermentation process relies on the “white bloom” on the grape skins (which contains a large amount of wild yeast).
Wash your hands thoroughly, then gently crush the grapes and place them—skins and all—into the fermentation container. Cover the container with a lid, but do not screw it on too tightly. This is because fermentation produces a large amount of carbon dioxide; if the container is overfilled, the grape juice may overflow. If the lid is screwed on too tightly, the container may explode. Additionally, the fermentation process requires a small amount of oxygen.
Place the container with the grapes in a cool, well-ventilated area. Fermentation will begin within about 12 hours, and you’ll notice plenty of bubbles forming in the grape juice. After one day, add white sugar equivalent to 1/20 of the weight of the fermenting grapes and stir thoroughly. From then on, use a wooden stick or chopsticks to press the grape skins into the wine twice a day, then replace the lid. After 3–4 days, add another amount of white sugar equivalent to 1/20 of the weight of the fermenting grapes, so that the total weight of sugar added in both batches is 1/10 of the weight of the grapes.
At room temperature, wine fermentation generally takes 6–8 days; in cooler environments, it may take slightly longer. When there are very few bubbles in the fermentation vessel, and only colorless grape skins and seeds remain, and the wine tastes virtually unsweetened, fermentation is complete.
Once fermentation is complete, repeatedly decant the wine to filter out the sediment, then transfer it to a container for secondary fermentation. When the temperature exceeds 22 degrees Celsius, the wine begins secondary fermentation, which is primarily malolactic fermentation and does not produce additional alcohol. During this process, a small amount of white, fine foam will rise to the surface. After two to three weeks, the secondary fermentation is largely complete, and the wine becomes clear. At this stage, the wine is called “grape base wine” and is, in the full sense of the term, a dry red wine. Decant the clear wine from the top, filter out the sediment at the bottom, add onions in the specified proportion, let it steep for 10 to 15 days, and then filter it.
For patients with mild clinical symptoms, many symptoms can be alleviated through exercise and by consuming onion wine. However, for those with more severe conditions, in addition to the above measures, they should also take medications that promote blood circulation and dispel blood stasis to complement the treatment.
Clinically, for patients with elevated blood lipid levels or high blood viscosity, I recommend taking “Three Ginseng Powder”—a blend of Panax notoginseng, Salvia miltiorrhiza, and American ginseng. Grind all three into a fine powder, mix them in equal proportions, and dissolve in water to take 5 grams twice daily.
The Panax notoginseng mentioned here is also known as Sanqi, Tianqi, or Jinbuhuan. It promotes blood circulation, stops bleeding, dissipates blood stasis, and relieves pain. It is effective for traumatic injuries, various types of internal bleeding, menstrual irregularities, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and persistent postpartum lochia caused by blood stasis, as well as lower abdominal pain due to blood stasis. It is also effective for conditions resulting from elevated blood lipids and cholesterol. Due to its ability to promote blood circulation and disperse blood stasis, it also offers some benefits for cancer patients.
Danshen, also known as red ginseng, has the effects of promoting blood circulation and regulating menstruation, removing blood stasis and relieving pain, cooling the blood and resolving abscesses, clearing the heart and relieving restlessness, and nourishing the blood and calming the mind. The *Shennong Bencao Jing* classifies it as a “superior-grade” herb, and the *Compendium of Materia Medica* records: “According to *The Clear Theory of Women’s Health*, Siwu Decoction treats women’s ailments—regardless of whether they are before or after childbirth, or the volume of menstrual flow—and is universally applicable. The Dan Shen Powder, with its single ingredient, serves the same therapeutic purpose. This is because Danshen can break up stagnant blood, replenish fresh blood, stabilize a viable fetus, expel a dead fetus, stop metrorrhagia and dysentery, and regulate the meridians; its effects are very similar to those of Angelica sinensis, Rehmannia glutinosa, Ligusticum chuanxiong, and Paeonia lactiflora.” Therefore, it is also praised as “a single-ingredient Danshen Decoction with effects equivalent to the Four Substances Decoction.”
American ginseng tonifies qi and nourishes yin, clears heat, and generates body fluids. Patients with long-term stagnation of qi and blood often experience accumulated stagnation that transforms into internal heat. Therefore, when treatment focuses on promoting blood circulation and resolving stasis, combining it with American ginseng—which tonifies qi and nourishes yin—not only enhances the efficacy of promoting blood circulation and resolving stasis but also alleviates symptoms of qi deficiency and heat-related conditions. Modern research indicates that American ginseng has anti-fatigue, antioxidant, and anti-stress effects, as well as the ability to inhibit platelet aggregation and reduce blood coagulability.
The Three Ginseng Powder possesses the effects of promoting blood circulation and resolving stasis, as well as tonifying qi and nourishing yin. It is highly effective in treating patients with the “three highs” mentioned earlier, particularly those with hyperviscosity syndrome, for whom it yields especially excellent results.
The death of a goldfish led me to reflect on water eutrophication; water eutrophication led me to the proverbs “Flowing water does not rot, and the hinge of a door does not decay”; this, in turn, led me to consider stagnation of qi and blood in the human body and “eutrophication”-like diseases. By integrating these insights with clinical practice, I have summarized health preservation methods for such conditions—and the insights gained have indeed been substantial. The roots of Traditional Chinese Medicine lie in nature; the principles of nature are the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the way of nature is the way of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Although this is true, alas, few truly grasp it!
Below, we will explore the way of Traditional Chinese Medicine through another story: The Story of the Powder Grinder.
