Nourishing the Body: Promoting Health, Longevity, and Beauty

　　Supplementing nutrition through nourishing the body with essential nutrients and adjusting the function of the organs can help the body resist diseases, ensure health, and promote longevity. Nourishment can benefit the growth and development of infants and young children, enhance cognitive function in adolescents, contribute to optimal reproduction for newlyweds, and delay aging in the elderly. Nourishment can also improve skin and hair care, and enhance overall quality of life. The specific benefits are as follows.

　　【Supplementing Nutrients】

　　Dietary and medicinal supplements involve the intake of food and medication to replenish various nutrients and provide beneficial effects to the body.

　　Diet is one of the fundamental aspects of human life. The "Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon" comprehensively discusses the relationship between diet and human health and longevity, proposing principles such as "harmony of the five flavors" and "moderation in eating." The "five flavors" refer to bitter, sour, sweet, spicy, and salty, representing the different tastes of food. These different tastes of food have specific relationships with the five organs of the body and play different roles in the body. According to the "Plain Questions · Declaring the Clear Qi" chapter, "The five flavors correspond to the organs: sour corresponds to the liver, spicy corresponds to the lungs, bitter corresponds to the heart, salty corresponds to the kidneys, and sweet corresponds to the spleen." The "Plain Questions · Vital Energy Circulation" chapter states, "Therefore, harmonizing the five flavors will result in strong bones, flexible tendons, smooth Qi and blood circulation, and fine skin pores. In this way, the bones and Qi will be nourished, and by following the principles of moderation, one's life will be prolonged." It means that only the harmonization of the five flavors in diet can ensure good health and longevity. Conversely, an imbalance in diet can affect health, as the saying goes, "The five palaces of Yin are harmed by the five flavors." Ancient people discovered that "excessive consumption of salty food can cause pulse to congeal and change color." This means that excessive salt intake can affect blood circulation. Modern research indicates that long-term high-salt diets are one of the major causes of hypertension. In addition, excessive consumption of sugar, acid, spicy, or bitter food can also harm human health.

　　In addition to harmonizing the five flavors and having moderation in diet, ancient people also emphasized the importance of consuming "five cereals for nourishment, five fruits for assistance, five meats for supplementation, and five vegetables for enrichment." This means that grains should be the main staple, meat should be a supplementary food, and vegetables and fruits should be consumed to ensure a diverse and well-rounded diet. Imbalanced diet can affect the function of the organs, subsequently affecting health and lifespan.

　　Methods such as mental nourishment, moxibustion, and massage indirectly promote the absorption function of the body, allowing for the replenishment of nutrients. Mental nourishment also plays a crucial role in dietary health. Throughout history, there have been requirements for joyful eating and pleasant dining experiences. One's mental state directly affects appetite and digestion. A calm mind and positive emotions can maintain a normal appetite and aid in digestion and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. Similarly, moxibustion and massage can improve gastrointestinal function by stimulating specific abdominal and spleen-stomach meridian acupoints, promoting digestion, absorption, and excretion, indirectly nourishing the body by enhancing the absorption of nutrients.

　　【Adjusting Organ Function】

　　The physiological functions of organs can become abnormal due to the body's weakness. Nourishment can effectively improve and adjust organ functions, thereby benefiting the body. For example, for individuals with kidney yang deficiency, foods such as dog meat and walnuts can be used to tonify kidney yang, while medicinal substances such as deer antler, seahorse, and cistanche can be used for medicinal nourishment. Additionally, stimulation of relevant parts, meridians, and acupoints such as the lumbar region through massage and moxibustion can also have a warming and tonifying effect on the kidneys. Similar methods can be applied to address deficiencies in other organs, ensuring their normal function.

　　【Disease Prevention】

　　The body's weakness can sometimes lead to the occurrence of diseases. These diseases can be cured once the causes of the body's weakness are eliminated. The occurrence of these diseases is often due to imbalances in yin and yang, excessive or deficient organ functions, or invasion of external pathogens. Nourishment can enhance the body's resistance to external pathogens, restore the balance of yin and yang, and promote the normal function of organs.

　　Nourishment is a method in traditional Chinese medicine that utilizes various ways of nourishing to treat various deficiencies and diseases. These nourishing methods can not only be used to treat chronic diseases but also have preventive effects on certain conditions.

　　【Promoting Growth and Development】

　　For infants and young children, inadequate prenatal and postnatal care can lead to nutritional deficiencies, calcium deficiency, poor digestion, susceptibility to external pathogens, etc. Nourishment can help replenish these deficiencies in infants and young children.

　　For infants and young children with weak spleen and stomach functions due to improper diet, nourishment can greatly improve their condition and promote growth and development. In particular, supplementation of vitamin D and calcium can quickly correct calcium deficiencies in children. Massage can also promote infant development, as confirmed by the research conducted at the University of Miami's Massage Therapy Institute. Researchers at the institute found that by massaging the head, back, and limbs of infants for 45 minutes daily for 10 consecutive days, the weight of the massaged infants increased by 47% compared to those who did not receive massages, and they appeared more lively and developed at a faster rate. Follow-up investigations over the next 8 months revealed that the developmental speed of these infants, including intellectual development, was still faster than that of other infants. They found that massage enhanced the activity of the infants' sympathetic nervous system, increased the secretion of certain hormones, improved the activity of digestive glands, and resulted in weight gain. Furthermore, they also found that massage could enhance the infants' immune system function.

　　【Enhancing Cognitive Function】

　　The brain is the central command center for human life activities, and various mental activities are under the command of the brain. Brain-nourishing foods and medications (mainly kidney-tonifying foods and medications) can provide direct nourishment to the brain and have a direct beneficial effect on brain health. Foods and medications that nourish qi and blood can provide sufficient nutrients to the brain, ensuring adequate Qi and blood circulation in the brain and improving cognitive function. Similarly, head massages, moxibustion, etc., can also improve blood flow to the brain, having the same effect as nourishing through food and medication.

　　【Optimal Reproduction】

　　Nourishment can promote fetal development, benefiting optimal reproduction. After marriage, frequent sexual activity can lead to significant depletion of kidney essence, which can result in physiological kidney deficiency. Pregnancy during this time can potentially lead to congenital deficiencies in offspring. Adequate nourishment can often compensate for these deficiencies.

　　In addition, women may experience various pregnancy-related reactions during pregnancy. Proper nourishment can reduce these reactions, improve spleen and stomach function, and ensure fetal nutrition.

　　【Delaying Aging】

　　Aspiring for immortality and eternal youth is not only seen in various myths and legends but has also been pursued by emperors and medical professionals throughout history. The "Divine Medicine of Wolfberries" legend tells of a person who lived to be 372 years old while appearing like a 17-18 year old girl. Although this legend exaggerated the effects of wolfberries, it is possible to resist aging and promote longevity through dietary and medicinal nourishment.

　　Many Chinese herbs and foods have anti-aging effects. Some can delay the natural aging process of cells, prolonging their lifespan. Others can eliminate free radicals - the factors of aging - in the body. Some can enhance the body's immune function, improve the body's endocrine system, regulate the nervous and humoral systems, and supplement the body with essential trace elements, among other effects, to achieve the goal of longevity.

　　Although massage and moxibustion do not directly supply the body with nutrients, they can promote meridian circulation, improve blood flow supply, regulate the body's nervous function, and enhance the absorption of the digestive system. Moxibustion can also regulate the body's absorption of trace elements. Mental nourishment can regulate mood, improve mental state, and contribute to longevity, garnering attention from ancient and modern medical professionals.

　　【Beauty and Skincare】

　　Nourishment has a significant effect on beauty and skincare. The skin and hair reflect the function of internal organs and the overall strength of the body and are external manifestations of one's health. Individuals with blood deficiency have pale complexions, while those with spleen deficiency have a yellow complexion. Medications and foods that nourish blood can replenish the body's qi and blood, resulting in a healthy rosy complexion. Some Chinese herbs and foods can inhibit pigmentation, providing a cosmetic effect. For example, Angelica sinensis, which contains a large amount of volatile oils, vitamins, sugars, organic acids, trace elements, etc., can dilate peripheral blood vessels, reduce vascular resistance, and improve microcirculation. It can also effectively inhibit the formation of melanin, making it effective in treating conditions such as chloasma and freckles. Facial massages can also contribute to skincare by changing facial blood circulation, increasing blood supply to the face, and accelerating the excretion of metabolic waste. Body massages can improve organ function, ensuring optimal function of various organs, resulting in natural beauty.