[Popular Science Sharing] Practical Health Care Knowledge and Methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Home

Traditional Chinese medicine is an ancient comprehensive medical system that includes thousands of years of Chinese history and experience. It includes theories such as yin and yang balance, qi and blood circulation, the five internal organs, and the twelve meridian system. It represents the accumulation and summary of ancient Chinese wisdom and experience and has unique value and significance. In this issue, Ma Benxu, deputy director and deputy chief physician of the Acupuncture Department of Qingdao Central Hospital, will share the knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine home health care.

Question 1: What are the advantages of Chinese medicine health care?

The first is that it is simple. Chinese medicine is easy to promote because it is easy for ordinary people to accept and the operation methods are simple, such as moxibustion, cupping, scraping, etc.

The second is that the ingredients are easy to obtain and readily available, such as roses, chrysanthemums, onions, ginger, and garlic, which can all be used as health-preserving ingredients.

Another thing is that traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes that medicine and food have the same origin. Food is medicine and medicine is also food. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine health preservation can be easily popularized.

Question 2: What are some traditional Chinese medicine health care methods that are convenient for residents to perform at home?

The first is moxibustion, the second is acupressure therapy, which is what we call acupoint massage, and cupping and scraping, which are the two most common. One suitable for children is spinal massage therapy, which is also very good. If there is a chance, I can share these three methods with you.

Question 3: What precautions should residents take when doing moxibustion at home?

In addition to some common precautions, the most important thing is to prevent fire and burns. As we all know, fire prevention is mainly to prevent burns. Especially for our elderly who do moxibustion at home, because the elderly may not have very sensitive skin, and they cannot grasp the distance accurately, so they are particularly prone to burns.

How to avoid burns? The first way is to let others help you with moxibustion, such as asking your spouse or children to help you with moxibustion. Another way is not to be alone at home when doing moxibustion. There should be another person at home to remind you at any time. Because many of our residents, as I often mentioned in lectures outside, many of our elderly people like to do moxibustion while watching TV. Often, if the plot of the TV is more attractive, they will forget about moxibustion and put the moxa stick on the skin at once, causing burns. Moxibustion burns are very likely to leave scars, so you must pay attention to this. As for fire prevention, everyone pays attention to it, so this is not a big deal.

Question 4: What kind of traditional Chinese medicine health care methods are more suitable for the elderly?

The first one is massage, which is the acupressure therapy I just talked about. This method is particularly suitable for the elderly. First, the elderly are more patient. Second, they have more social experience. Third, they study more seriously and can find acupoints more accurately. For example, other methods such as cupping require fire, which is difficult to operate. Moxibustion is also prone to accidents. The most common one is massage, which is the acupressure therapy we just talked about. Another one is medicated diet. Some of the things that are both medicinal and edible, such as lily, jujube, wolfberry, yam, and even the radish and cabbage we often use, are all very good health care ingredients.

Question 5: What are the taboos when massaging acupoints?

When massaging acupoints, you should pay attention to the fact that some places are not suitable for forceful massage, such as the acupoints around our eyes and some acupoints on our backs. Especially the elderly should not press hard. Another thing to note about acupoint massage is that it is more demanding than cupping and sha-pulling, and the acupoints need to be more accurate. Of course, it is less demanding than acupuncture, but you have to be accurate in acupoint selection. This is why many of our diseases are well explained, but when ordinary people go home and use them, they don't work. The first reason is that the acupoints are not massaged accurately, and the second reason is that the strength used is not accurate.