The essence of health and wellness lies not merely in the elimination of disease or the enhancement of physical strength, but in a holistic balance centered on the core concept of “harmony.” This harmony is manifested in the unity of body and mind within the human body, the symbiotic relationship between humanity and nature, and the organic integration of modern lifestyles with traditional wisdom.
A Story About Raising Dogs
When I was a child growing up in the countryside, every household kept a dog. Since homes in rural areas are scattered, having a dog served two purposes: first, to deter thieves; and second, if there was any noise at night, the dog would bark to alert its owners that something unusual might be happening outside. That’s why dogs held a high status in the countryside—unlike in the city, where they’re kept merely as pets.
In our free time, we loved to play with the dogs. We’d take out some small treats and tease them into jumping up and down. Watching them run back and forth and leap about happily in front of and behind us brought us great joy.
Besides giving treats, another way to show affection to a dog is to gently stroke its back with your hand, running your fingers through its fur. After a few strokes, the dog will lie down so you can check for fleas. Sometimes, worried that you might miss them, it will nudge you with its mouth to indicate where it’s uncomfortable or where the fleas are!
But dogs have one quirk: you can only pet them with the grain of their fur. If you stroke against the grain, after just a few strokes, they’ll bristle and feel uncomfortable all over. If you don’t stop, they might even open their mouths as if to bite you. Perhaps that very action gives them a real thrill!
It’s been many years since I left my hometown, but whenever I recall the joy of playing with dogs, I always remember the feeling of stroking a dog’s fur against the grain. Why don’t dogs like it when people stroke their fur against the grain?
This question lingered in my mind for years. One day, I asked an elderly man who had been raising dogs for many years, and his words suddenly made everything clear.
“It’s not just dogs that like being stroked with the grain—all animals do. It’s a law of nature. Dogs like to be stroked with the grain; people like to hear pleasant words and work with people who are easy to get along with. Even a chef prefers a knife that cuts smoothly! Look at the cars on the road—don’t they all drive on the right side, heading in the same direction? Could they possibly drive the other way? There’s a lot to learn about this concept of ‘going with the flow’!”
“There’s a lot to learn about this concept of ‘going with the flow’!” The old man’s words left me deep in thought for a long time. In fact, aren’t the physiological activities of the human body all about this “going with the flow”? If this natural flow were lost and resistance arose, wouldn’t illness follow? So when we treat diseases, aren’t we striving to restore this natural flow—to align with the qi mechanisms of the internal organs, the circulation of qi and blood, and the rising, falling, floating, and sinking movements? And when we discuss health preservation, aren’t we simply aligning with the laws of nature—with the cycles of growth, transformation, storage, and release?
That single character “flow” has given me much to think about and has helped me understand so much.
I remember my great-grandfather telling me when I was a child: “To treat illness, one must go with its nature and nurture its true essence!” I specifically recorded these words in The Growth Journey of a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner:
“Going with its nature means aligning with the characteristics of each organ: when it should rise, let it rise; when it should descend, let it descend; when it should store, let it store; when there is excess, drain it; when there is deficiency, tonify it—regulating the organs to their optimal functional state. For example, in treating liver disorders, we use Bupleurum and mint, both of which align with the liver’s nature of ascending and dispersing. Even in cases of hyperactive liver yang, while subduing the liver and calming yang, we must also include a small amount of liver-soothing herbs as a counter-agent; in treating lung disorders, we use ephedra and bitter apricot kernels, which also align with the lung’s functions of dispersing and descending…”
“Nourishing the ‘True’ means cultivating the deficient essence and qi of the zang-fu organs, ensuring they are adequately energized and their material foundation is replenished, thereby naturally restoring their functions. For instance, in liver disorders, Danggui is used to tonify the liver’s function of storing blood; in kidney disorders, Tusizi is used to tonify the kidney’s function of storing essence; and in heart disorders, Zaoren is used to nourish the heart and calm the spirit…”
“When the ‘Zhen’ of the viscera is nourished and their ‘Xing’ is harmonized, the disease will heal on its own without treatment!”
Now, through the insights gained from raising a dog, my understanding of “harmony” has grown ever deeper. As humans live between Heaven and Earth, our five viscera correspond to the cosmos: the heart is like the sun in the sky, the lungs are like the atmosphere, the spleen and stomach are like fertile soil, the liver is like trees, and the kidneys are like the ocean. By integrating the laws of the five viscera with those of nature, we can discern what constitutes harmony and what constitutes disharmony.
In The Way of Medicine: A Ten-Stop Journey into the Hall of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I wrote:
“As the sun rises gradually from the east, the liver qi in the human body rises slowly from the left side!”
“As the sun sets slowly in the west, the yin qi within the human body descends gradually from the right side through the lungs’ descending and gathering functions!”
“The water and moisture within the earth nourish the trees, preventing them from withering; the kidney water in the human body also nourishes the liver wood, preventing excessive liver fire!”
“When water in the ocean is exposed to the sun’s rays, it evaporates into water vapor and rises as clouds, which can shield against the sun’s heat; the water vapor from the kidneys in the human body rises with the liver qi, helping to regulate heart fire and prevent it from becoming excessive!”
“The sun’s rays warm the earth, and this warmth allows all things to grow; in the human body, heart fire descends to warm the stomach earth, and this warmth enables the stomach to digest food!”
“After the sun shines, the earth warms up, and the heat from the warm earth transmits downward, warming the moisture within the soil; in the human body, the heat of heart fire, through the descent of stomach qi, can be transmitted downward to the kidneys, warming the cold water within them!”
“At the earth’s core, heat from the Earth’s core radiates outward, warming the deepest parts of the earth; this warmth rises slowly, and the moisture in the earth rises to form clouds, which gather into dark clouds and fall as rain!”
“A thread of yang energy from the kidneys in the human body rises slowly, warming the spleen, nourished by the kidney yang, the spleen transforms the nutrients transported from the small intestine—through the process of fermentation—into subtle vital energy, which rises to the lungs. The lungs then disperse the clear portion of this subtle vital energy to nourish the skin and hair, while the turbid portion descends to nourish the five zang organs and six fu organs. The waste products are transformed into bodily fluids, pass through the Triple Burner, enter the bladder, and become urine!”
日从东方冉冉起，水在西边沥沥声；
肾水养肝能涵木，随肝上达济心炎。
丽日如心照胃土，其温透胃暖寒泉；
肾中潜龙为一阳，温脾如沤清阳升。
肺如华盖能肃降，化汽为水三焦经；
三焦水道通州都，浊去精存再入肾。
外周气流逆向右，中央胃降脾气升；
人体阴阳如两轮，右侧气分左侧阴。
The sun rises gradually from the east, while water trickles softly in the west;
Kidney water nourishes the liver to sustain the Wood element, rising with the liver to quench the heart’s fire.
The radiant sun, like the heart, illuminates the stomach’s earth; its warmth penetrates the stomach to warm the cold spring;
The latent dragon within the kidneys is the single Yang; warming the spleen like fermentation, the pure Yang rises.
The lungs, like a canopy, govern descent and dispersion, transforming vapor into water through the Triple Burner meridian;
The Triple Burner’s waterways connect to the capital; turbidity is removed, essence is retained, and it re-enters the kidneys.
The outer peripheral qi flows counterclockwise; in the center, the Stomach descends while the Spleen’s qi ascends;
The human body’s yin and yang are like two wheels: the right side governs qi, the left side governs yin.
As can be seen from the diagram on the previous page, the Liver and Spleen govern ascension, while the Stomach, Gallbladder, and Lungs govern descent. To clarify the relationship between ascension and descent, we can evolve the diagram as follows:
This is akin to a whirlpool, which is also an evolved form of the Taiji diagram. The movement of the outer large circle drives the movement of the inner small circle; similarly, the smooth circulation of the inner small circle also drives the movement of the outer large circle.
Through this diagram, we understand what “harmony” means for the zang-fu organs. The onset of disease results from a violation of this harmony, and clinical treatment of disease involves aligning with this harmony!
Liver qi is ascending and expansive. In patients with liver qi stagnation, the “liver” point is blocked—it wants to rise but cannot. Therefore, patients with liver qi stagnation require herbs such as Bupleurum and Peppermint to regulate liver qi. By prescribing medications in accordance with the liver’s nature—going with the flow—the disease will naturally resolve.
The spleen is also primarily ascending. In patients with dampness obstructing the spleen, spleen qi sinks downward and cannot rise. Therefore, for such patients, herbs like Atractylodes macrocephala and Atractylodes lancea—which dry dampness and strengthen the spleen—are needed. By following the nature of the spleen and “stroking with the grain,” the disease will naturally resolve.
Stomach qi naturally descends. For patients with upward-reversing stomach qi—manifesting as nausea, acid reflux, and throat discomfort—herbs such as loquat leaf, daizhashi, and bamboo shavings, which descend qi, should be used to subdue the upward-reversing stomach qi. By aligning with the stomach’s nature—that descent brings harmony—and going with the flow, the illness will naturally resolve.
The lung belongs to the Metal element and governs contraction. When lung qi disperses excessively and fails to contract and descend adequately, it easily leads to excessive lung fire, causing hair loss and an oily scalp. In treating such patients, one must align with the lung’s nature of contraction and descent to consolidate lung qi. Herbs such as bitter apricot kernels, black plum, and schisandra—when used in accordance with this nature—will naturally lead to recovery.
The formation of human diseases can be attributed to either external pathogens or internal imbalances. For diseases caused by external pathogens, one must dispel the pathogenic factors; for those caused by internal imbalances, one must regulate the disorder. Regulating the reversed or disordered flow of the body’s qi—whether due to insufficient generation or excessive ascension—is essential, as both excess and deficiency can lead to disharmony among the five zang organs. One must adhere to this principle: going with the natural order leads to prosperity; going against it leads to ruin.
“从阴阳则生，逆阴阳则死，从之则治，逆之则乱。反顺为逆，是谓内格。”
The Huangdi Neijing states: “To follow Yin and Yang is to live; to go against Yin and Yang is to die. To follow them is to achieve harmony; to go against them is to create chaos. To turn ‘following’ into ‘opposing’ is called ‘internal resistance.’”
The single character “shun” (to follow) clearly illustrates the physiological principles of the human body. This character also provides excellent guidance for our health practices: as long as we follow the principle of “shun,” we will achieve twice the result with half the effort.
What does “going with the flow” mean? It means choosing appropriate foods based on your body’s needs. Some people experience diarrhea after eating cold or cooling foods, which indicates an excess of cold within the body; in such cases, we should be careful to avoid these types of foods. Similarly, patients with gout will experience joint pain after consuming foods high in purines, so they should follow a low-purine diet.
At the same time, the concept of “harmony” should also be reflected in adapting to the seasons and geographical conditions. In other words, the foods best suited for us are locally produced, seasonal foods—these are the most beneficial for the body. We should not pursue expensive or rare foods, as they may not necessarily be suitable for our bodies. For example, the Sichuan Basin has a humid climate, and locals enjoy spicy and numbing flavors without experiencing “internal heat.” However, if one were not in that environment and consumed large amounts of spicy food, it could lead to discomfort caused by “internal heat.” Guangdong is located in the tropics, and locals enjoy drinking herbal teas; yet, if one were in Northeast China and drank herbal tea every day, the body might not be able to handle it. This illustrates the principle that “the land and climate of a region nurture its people.”
The story of the dog teaches us that even animals know it feels good to be stroked in the direction of their fur. As the crown of creation, humans should understand even more clearly that when it comes to health and wellness, there is no need to blindly chase after trendy fads. We shouldn’t simply imitate or follow whatever is promoted on television; instead, we should align ourselves with the energy of the seasons, adapt to our geographical environment, and harmonize with the nature of our five internal organs—seeking the true essence of wellness through this harmony.
