The pursuit of longevity is a common desire among people, but what is the secret to longevity?
In the classic Chinese medical literature, the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, there is a passage that describes it as follows:
"The Emperor asked: Why are there some people who are already old but still have children? Qi Bo replied: This is because their natural lifespan is excessive, their meridians are always open, and their kidney energy is abundant."
This passage means that when people reach old age (the Inner Canon considers men over 64 years old and women over 49 years old), their kidney energy generally weakens and they lose their reproductive ability. But why can some people still have reproductive ability? There are three reasons: excessive natural lifespan, open meridians, and abundant kidney energy. These three factors are also the main reasons for healthy longevity, and individuals with healthy longevity often have reproductive ability beyond that of the general population. People over two thousand years ago already understood that healthy longevity is closely related to congenital genetic factors, and at the same time, the postnatal conditions of smooth qi and blood circulation and vigorous kidney energy are also important conditions for longevity.
Excessive natural lifespan - congenital genetic endowment
Above average
The so-called "excessive natural lifespan" means that one's congenital genetic endowment is above average. The World Health Organization believes that 15% of a person's healthy longevity is determined by genetics (recent studies in Shanghai suggest that 20%~25% is determined by genetic factors), 10% is determined by social conditions, 8% is determined by medical conditions, 7% is determined by the natural environment, and 60% is determined by one's lifestyle. It has been reported that over 90% of the more than 1,000 individuals over 90 years old have a family history of longevity. It can be seen that the viewpoint of the Inner Canon is indeed a summary of long-term clinical observations.
Open meridians - maintaining smooth qi and blood circulation
The so-called "open meridians" means that qi and blood can maintain smooth circulation. The Inner Canon states: "Human beings are composed of blood and qi." Qi and blood are the foundation for maintaining human life, and "the circulation of qi and blood is precious." The Inner Canon tells us that maintaining the circulation of qi and blood is closely related to healthy longevity. From the perspective of the evolution of bodily aging, the earliest pathological and physiological changes that occur are arteriosclerosis and tissue ischemia. Therefore, some modern scholars propose the academic viewpoint that "the elderly tend to have blood stasis." Experimental studies have shown that the elderly have varying degrees of microcirculatory disorders and changes in hemorheology. Through studies on high-fat rabbits, it has been found that there are correlated changes in blood lipids and hemorheology, which may reflect the biological basis of the Traditional Chinese Medicine concepts of "phlegm turbidity syndrome" and "blood stasis syndrome." Observation of hemorheological parameters in elderly rats confirmed that the changes in the hemorheological parameters of elderly rats are similar to those of human blood stasis syndrome, such as viscosity, density, coagulation, and aggregation, and these hemorheological parameters change significantly with age, making it easy to form blood clots.
Clinical practice has shown that most elderly diseases such as arteriosclerosis, hypertension, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, sequelae of stroke, benign prostatic hyperplasia, senile dementia, and tumors all involve pathological changes of qi stagnation and blood stasis. The most prominent effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis drugs is to improve microcirculation and tissue ischemia, which can counteract myocardial ischemia, cerebral ischemia, inhibit platelet aggregation, and prevent coagulation and thrombus formation. Both experimental and clinical evidence suggest that smooth circulation of qi and blood is an important condition for healthy longevity.
Abundant kidney energy - vigorous essence in the kidneys
The so-called "abundant kidney energy" refers to the vigorous essence in the kidneys. The Inner Canon believes that the abundance or deficiency of essence in the kidneys is related to the processes of growth, development, reproduction, and aging in the human body. When the kidney energy is abundant, the body is strong; when the kidney energy is deficient, the body ages prematurely or before its time. This is because the kidneys store the essence, which is the foundation of innate vitality, the root of the five viscera, and the gate of life. When the kidney energy is abundant, the body's immune function functions normally. When the kidney energy is insufficient, the functions of the five viscera and six bowels decline, and aging phenomena such as diminished sexual function, mental fatigue, soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees, premature graying of hair, and loose teeth appear. The internal cause of aging is the dominant role of the kidneys, and abundant kidney energy leads to longevity, while deficient kidney energy leads to premature aging.
A study in Shanghai showed that 94.7% of more than 900 elderly people had symptoms of kidney deficiency (soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees, fatigue, tinnitus, aversion to cold and cold limbs, frequent nocturia, hair loss and loose teeth, forgetfulness, insomnia, residual urine after urination, chest tightness, shortness of breath, diminished sexual function, etc.). In the medical books of various dynasties, there are a large number of prescriptions for prolonging life and improving health, with the majority focused on supplementing the kidneys. An analysis of 124 prescriptions for prolonging life and improving health from 13 representative medical books of various dynasties showed that 87 of them were mainly based on warming and supplementing kidney yang, accounting for 70.2%. Therefore, throughout history, the key to strengthening the elderly and delaying aging has always been to supplement the kidneys and nourish essence. Experimental studies have shown that kidney deficiency can lead to dysfunction of the neuroendocrine system, immune dysfunction, decreased ability to remove free radicals, and increased levels of free radicals. Medicinal herbs that tonify the kidneys and nourish essence, such as Lingzhi, Huangjing, Shudi, Yuzhu, Shouwu, Shanzhuyu, Gouqizi, Lurong, Ziheche, Tusizi, Rouchong, Ginseng, and Huangqi, all have the effect of delaying aging and prolonging lifespan, and can improve these laboratory indicators of aging.
