There are a few things acupuncturists look at when gauging the vitality or general health of a person. The first is Zheng Qi often translated as “upright qi” although “balancing force” conveys the meaning better. This is a compilation of:
- what is nourishing the body/mind
- what is taxing the body
- how well the body is benefiting from healthy inputs
- how well the body is buffering from unhealthy ones.
It is an assessment of how well your body is currently preforming and this measurement translates directly to resilient health. Strong indicators of this collective function are appetite, bowel movements, sleep quality, menstrual cycle, emotional and sexual/work health.
The goal of any Dynamic Duo (practitioner and patient) is to benefit and regulate the Zheng qi so the patient can start a rebalancing movement back towards health.
Another important aspect of someone’s vitality is their constitution. A person’s constitution is based not only on a persons “genetic strength” but also on chronic lifestyle/habits (diet, posture, drug use, excessive activity, chronic or lingering illness, trauma). This is not to say that ones constitution is unchangeable. Zheng qi and constitution are in a constant dynamic relationship, by affecting one we can influence slow change in the other.
“To cure disease after it has appeared is like digging a well when one feels thirsty or foraging weapons after the war has begun.”
Huang Di Nei Jing
This quote is directly from our original source text and it’s meaning is clear. Preventative medicine is the best medicine. This is not to say that complicated diseases cannot be alleviated, but that the goal of this medicine is to create a resilience in the body. So that when diseases do come, proper physiological function will rebalance the system.