The most important word of Chinese medicine

If you are interested in Chinese medicine, then you will know that it contains a lot of beautiful and interesting concepts. However, there is one concept, one word that is absolutely fundamental, in fact the most important one for traditional medicine. It is based on the principle of Yin and Yang - the two fundamental forces that govern the movement and dynamics of everything around us and within us. The whole universe is governed by the transformations of Yin and Yang. To fully understand the meaning of this - as yet secret - word, we must first explain the workings of Yin and Yang.

You are surely familiar with the symbol of the monad (taijit), which perfectly describes the relationship between Yin and Yang. The dark part is Yin, the light part Yang. They are not separate, but flow seamlessly into one another, expressing never-ending movement and change. Each part contains a small point of opposite force - in Yin is the germ of Yang and in Yang the germ of Yin. This symbolizes that each force contains within it the potential of its opposite.

The transformations of Yin and Yang are an endless cycle. When Yin reaches its maximum, it transforms into Yang and vice versa. As in nature (the alternation of day and night), so in the human body there is a constantof energy in the human body to ensure its harmonious functioning.

The monad shows how delicate and shifting the balance is, and that the key to life is to embrace this dynamic and live in harmony with it.

Every thing and every phenomenon in the universe has an invisible yin and yang part to it. Nothing is pure yang or pure yin. The forces of yin and yang are interconnected, and in a regular rhythm one overrides the other - constantly trying to occupy the territory of the other.

Yin and Yang in our body

Everyone has a combination of Yin and Yang in them and keeping both in balance means we are healthy. Some people naturally have more Yin energy and others have more Yang energy. You can think of Yang as warmth, light, activity, expansion and Yin as coolness, darkness, stillness and concentration.

What happens when Yin or Yang starts to predominate? An imbalance in the body begins to occur, which gradually leads to illness. And the basic philosophy of Chinese medicine is to bring the body back into balance - to health.

So our health is a reflection of the delicate balance between Yin and Yang. Moreover, this balance is fluid and sensitive to external influences - our diet, our behaviour, the influence of our environment and our emotional state.

Take the Journey of the Centre

To understand how to effectively maintain a healthy balance in the body, it is important to mention the ancient Chinese teaching of the Way of the Center (Zhong Yong). It symbolizes the ideal balance between Yin and Yang. An ideal state that will essentially never come to pass, but which we should constantly strive towards. If we stray from this path, our health will begin to decline.

This chart is a simplified representation of human life. We call the line in the middle the Way of the Middle. This is the ideal state. This is the path we should follow if we want to be healthy. This is the state where Yin and Yang are in balance. In Western medicine, this is referred to as "homeostasis" - the ability of the body to maintain a stable internal environment, which is a prerequisite for the proper functioning of organs and systems.

Unfortunately, by the way we live, we deviate up or down from it. And because we humans are unreasonable, the deviations from the center are often very pronounced.

When does the disease come?

If we live too one-sidedly or extremely, the upward or downward fluctuations exceed the limit from where our organism is no longer able to return to the Way of the Center on its own. This is the limit of illness (parallel lines to the Way of the Center).

After crossing these boundaries (up or down), our body can no longer cope on its own and needs outside intervention. Treatment must come, and it doesn't matter if it is in the form of acupuncture, herbs, vital mushrooms or antibiotics. The principle is always the same - to harmonize the yinyang cycle. Push the deflection back to the center, to the Way of the Center.

It is up to the patient to choose chemical remedies or natural remedies. Chemical remedies are much more vigorous and will often induce other unwanted imbalances in the body. Natural remedies work gently, more slowly, but effectively and without side effects.

In general, people use the vigour of Western pharmacology for acute or life-threatening problems and natural treatments for chronic health problems. But even such Chinese herbal tinctures, if properly indicated, can resolve acute flu within a day.

I read in a book on Chinese medicine about Doctor 1 and Doctor 2. Doctor 1 works and helps in the space between the Way of the Middle and the border of illness. In the space where we mostly help ourselves in different ways and support our body's self-healing abilities. If the boundary of illness is crossed, then Doctor 2 steps in.

The way of the centre - the best way for our life

If we want to be healthy, we should follow the Way of the Middle. But we are only human, we are influenced by the things and circumstances around us, we have different predispositions and different resilience, and so we constantly deviate from this path. But these detours should never be significant and long term. It is good to live a reasonable life without extremes.

And what is the most important word?

For centuries, one of the most important concepts in Chinese medicine has been the word appropriately. To do everything in life reasonably and to stay between the Way of the Middle and the boundaries of illness.

You can do anything - eat grilled meat, eat ice cream, go to fast food restaurants, do adrenaline sports, dance the night away. But everything in moderation.

Learn to notice what your body is telling you, what signals it is sending, when it is no longer feeling comfortable and when it is running out of energy. The better you control this, the more naturally you will adjust your lifestyle to be appropriate.

Vital mushrooms help to find the lost balance

One of the natural remedies that effectively help to find the lost balance is vital mushrooms. They push us constantly towards the Way of the Center (Zhong Yong). They help to balance Yin and Yang.

They have a dominant sweet taste, which is the taste of the centre (Spleen), their temperature is mostly neutral, which is again the centre, and their tropism is also towards the Spleen, i.e. the centre.

Vital mushrooms can balance any of our deviations from the Way of the Center and bring us back to the Way of the Center. That is their magic. This is why vital mushrooms help with such a wide and varied range of health ailments.

A word in conclusion

If you want to live a long and healthy life, try to walk the Way of the Middle - in moderation, without extremes. As the old Chinese proverb says: "To be in harmony with Yin and Yang is life; to violate it is destruction." Remember that proportionality is the key to health.

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