During the Ming Dynasty, there was a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner named Zhang Jingyue who proposed a concept in his book "Jingyue Quanshu" on children's health. He believed that if a child has congenital problems before the age of 12, such as poor spleen and stomach function, insufficient kidney qi, or high internal heat, it is best to solve these problems comprehensively before the age of 12, because children's illnesses are not particularly complicated before the age of 12 and are relatively easy to solve.
Traditional Chinese medicine health preservation can lay a very solid foundation from zero to 12 years old. If the body is well nourished during this stage, it is beneficial for the child's health for the rest of their life, making up for their innate deficiencies. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, people are not born perfect, but more or less in the five organs, which are the five elements mentioned in traditional Chinese medicine.
There is an imbalance between yin and yang, some are over balanced, and some are under balanced. If we balance in time and make up for the shortcomings, the human body can be well balanced before puberty, which lays a solid foundation for their future health.
Many ancient people we know were born weak, just physically weak. Like Sun Simiao, who was born weak and sickly, his health was very poor. Later, he gradually adjusted his body through some doctors and some Taoist figures he knew. With his own efforts and physical and mental cultivation, he lived to be over 120 years old. Children who are born weak will gradually become stronger through the treatment of traditional Chinese medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Natural Therapy
The West divides medicine into two types, the first being mainstream medicine, which is Western medicine, and now medicine. The second type is called alternative medicine, most of which are natural methods, among which traditional Chinese medicine is the natural therapy of alternative medicine. Nowadays, Western and Indian medicine, as well as some indigenous therapies in the past, all use natural remedies.
Natural therapy is a method of treating diseases using natural tools or herbs. We are all natural persons, and only the state of nature is the normal state. Deviation from nature is abnormal. Traditional Chinese medicine precisely utilizes the balance relationship of nature to help the body adjust the balance of imbalanced areas, which is a natural method, and it will not harm the child's internal organs or cause any other damage. These methods are relatively safe and reliable.
We humans are not a special species that transcends the world's nature. We are just like a tree, any plant, and any animal, a living organism on Earth. Therefore, we must follow all natural laws, and traditional Chinese medicine health preservation is extracted from these natural laws.
The laws extracted from traditional Chinese medicine are in line with the natural state. If we do not conform to the natural state, we will get sick. The ancients often said, "Those who follow the sky will prosper, and those who go against the sky will perish." The so-called sky is the law of nature. A simple example is to go to bed and wake up early, work at sunrise, and rest at sunset, which is in accordance with the rise and fall of the sun and conforms to the way of heaven and earth. If not in harmony with nature, staying up late at night and sleeping during the day, over time, the body will become unbalanced. So many diseases nowadays are basically caused by sleep disorders.
What are the natural therapies of traditional Chinese medicine? What is suitable for children and what cannot be used on children?
Chirping and massage
A few years ago, I lived in a courtyard house in Beijing and was preparing to pursue a PhD. There are several households living in the quadrangle courtyard. One day, one household's child was crying. I asked his parents what happened to their child? The parents said that their child has a fever and has been receiving intravenous fluids for several days without getting better, and they have also taken some anti-inflammatory drugs. I said I could give it a try, and with their consent, I asked my parents to avoid it for now. Because the treatment process may be painful, children may cry out in pain, and parents may not be able to bear it and may demand to stop the treatment.
Coincidentally, the child's grandfather was present, and he helped me place the child on the bed. Then I started to give him a spine massage, especially to the point where it was level with this lung acupoint, around the scapula on the back. This area would be very painful because this acupoint corresponds to the inner lung meridian, and the child's cough and fever are related to it.
I just increased the intensity slightly in this area, and the child cried. He cried really hard, and then he broke out in a sweat. After I pinched him for 10 minutes, the child's fever began to subside. This is called sweating and healing. This effect is very fast and also very good.
Because in traditional Chinese medicine, it is said that "the organs are light and responsive, and can be adjusted as needed", which means that the organs are always light and responsive. Unlike adults, when the organs have been stagnant for a long time, they may become more heavy and turbid, and medication may be used more selectively and aggressively. Children's organs are very light, and they can rotate with just a slight flick, so we can use some techniques to achieve good results.
In fact, from the birth of a newborn (defined as the period from birth to the 28th day after birth), the previous month is considered a newborn. After a newborn, at one year, this period is infancy, and massage and massage can be performed during infancy.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the acupoints in the limbs, meridians, and bones have excellent connectivity with the internal organs. So, through the methods of traditional Chinese medicine, it is to "treat the inside while keeping the outside". Whether through external massage or guidance, it can help adjust the child's internal organs.
Like spine massage, it is one of the simplest methods.
The specific technique of spinal manipulation is to have the child lie down, then use both hands to pinch the skin on the child's back bit by bit and roll it upwards. After rolling once, this is one time, and the second time is also from bottom to top.
By using acupressure, this meridian massage method stimulates the acupoints behind the back, and then adjusts the internal organs through stimulation. Because traditional Chinese medicine believes that the back is yang and the abdomen is yin, and this yin and yang are interconnected. By regulating these acupoints on the back, the internal organs can be regulated.
It's best to give your child a 10 minute massage every day. Gentle massage techniques can help children improve digestive problems and promote digestion. For example, if a child has a fever or cold, the technique can be heavier.
External application
Children's stomachs are prone to catching cold, and some children are particularly prone to diarrhea. There is a method in traditional Chinese medicine: put coarse salt with large particles in an iron pan and stir fry until it is very hot. Then wrap it in a cloth and pour it onto the child's belly button. You can extract the coldness from this stomach and intestines.
This method can also be explained by modern science. Firstly, there is a cold in the stomach, which causes poor circulation of qi and blood. When applying hot food, it is called external application. This method can make the local blood flow well and smoothly, and the gastrointestinal tract will start to wriggle.
The second is salt, especially sea salt, which evaporates some of the water inside its crystals after frying. Placing it on a cold stomach can remove moisture, and desiccants are usually made by heating coarse salt, which can absorb moisture. Moisture is what traditional Chinese medicine refers to as dampness.
Sanfu Tie, Sanjiu Tie
Using certain medications or daily necessities to put it in contact with human skin and have a certain effect is called applying or applying externally. Like the "Sanfu" and "Sanjiu" days, we have "Sanfu Tie" and "Sanjiu Tie". This is a method of applying medication through specific acupoints and allowing it to enter the body. This is done through the skin. Another method is cupping and scraping, which can also treat some children's illnesses.
Acupuncture and moxibustion
Acupuncture and moxibustion are different.
One is acupuncture, and the other is moxibustion. Acupuncture is needle punching. If this method is used on children before the age of four, ancient medical books record that it is easy to burst qi and is not good for children. But now I find that some children have facial paralysis after blowing the air conditioner, but they can be treated with acupuncture and moxibustion, and the effect is very good.
Moxibustion is now commonly used by many ordinary people at home, which is moxa sticks. After lighting them, they are smoked at specific acupoints. I used to help a Korean friend cure a disease. When I gave him acupuncture and moxibustion in the acupuncture and moxibustion Department, I found two spots in his Zusanli. I asked him what was the matter. He said that his mother had lit Zusanli with wormwood since childhood and smoked Zusanli, leaving traces in the long run.
So, our Chinese medicine has spread to Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and other countries, and people in those countries love it very much and often use it. Smoking Zusanli with moxibustion for children from a young age can strengthen the spleen and stomach, and enhance immunity.
Disclaimer: This article is a sharing of health knowledge. The drugs, prescriptions, acupuncture and moxibustion and other treatment and health preserving methods mentioned in this article should be applied under the guidance of professional doctors, and should not be applied by yourself. We are not responsible for any issues arising from improper use.