I. Why does illness “leave like drawing silk”? Understanding the essence from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective

The saying “illness comes like a mountain falling, but leaves like drawing silk” is not just a metaphor; it is a profound summary by Traditional Chinese Medicine of the patterns of disease. Illnesses are often the result of long-term accumulation of bad habits, such as kidney damage from staying up late, spleen damage from irregular eating, and depletion of yang energy from getting cold. These issues accumulate over time, gradually pushing the body from “sub-health” to “disease.” Therefore, recovering health also requires time, and expecting a few medications or a few days of adjustment to completely improve is unrealistic.

A 30-year-old white-collar worker, who frequently worked overtime late into the night and enjoyed barbecued food and milk tea, experienced recurring toothaches and bloating over the past six months. Examination revealed damp-heat in the spleen and stomach, and kidney yin deficiency. After three months of Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment, the toothache disappeared, and appetite improved, but if the habit of staying up late was resumed, the symptoms would recur. This shows that without changing lifestyle habits, the root cause of the disease is hard to eliminate.

Suggested extensions:

• Self-observation method: Record daily body changes (such as fatigue, dry mouth, bowel movements) and find connections with daily life.
• Gradual adjustment: Change one small habit each week (such as reducing one late-night snack) to gradually improve physique.

II. Dietary Recommendations: Tailored to Individual Needs for Health

Diet is the foundation of health, but different constitutions require different adjustments.

• Constitution and Diet Matching:
  • Damp-heat constitution (bitter taste in the mouth, easy to get inflamed, sticky stools): Reduce intake of greasy and spicy foods, eat more mung beans, coix seeds, and winter melon.
  • Spleen deficiency constitution (loose stools, fatigue): Avoid cold fruits, eat more yam and red dates in porridge.
  • Yin deficiency constitution (dry mouth, insomnia): Reduce fried snacks, drink more goji berry and chrysanthemum tea.
• Modern Dietary Pitfalls: High oil and salt in takeout, many additives in fast food, long-term consumption can lead to internal damp-heat. It is recommended to cook at home at least three days a week, using steaming and boiling instead of frying.
• Children’s Dietary Misconceptions: Many parents think that if their children like something, they should give it to them, not realizing that chocolate and chips can cause indigestion, leading to repeated colds and fevers. It is suggested to use apple puree and hawthorn water instead of snacks, which can stimulate appetite and aid digestion.
• [Dietary Recommendations]
  
  In addition to avoiding fatty, sweet, and hard-to-digest foods, it is also important to eat staple foods (such as rice, wheat, and flour), and avoid sticky rice and meal replacements.
  Do not eat too much meat, and make sure to eat some vegetables every day.
• 1) Meat:
  Eat pork as much as possible (avoid pork brain, which is very cold), duck, and small amounts of chicken (which is slightly warm).
  Other meats like beef, lamb, seafood, freshwater fish, donkey, snake, dog, animal organs, shrimp, and cured meats should be eaten sparingly.
  In general, most meats can be considered as triggering foods, and nowadays, animals are raised collectively, fed hormones and antibiotics to grow quickly due to poor living conditions, necessitating medication to prevent illness.
  There is a documentary worth watching called “Dominion”.
  BBC Documentary “Dominion”
  It includes a scene where, due to the large amount of feed given, chickens grow so fast that their legs cannot support their own weight.
• 
  When you find that the chicken legs, lamb legs, or bones you eat are very thin with a lot of meat, they are often raised this way.
  Animals are slaughtered before they get sick, so these meats with excessive levels end up in people’s stomachs.
• 2) Vegetables:
  Avoid eating wild vegetables, bamboo shoots, and certain roots in spring. Other non-triggering foods can be eaten.
• 3) Fruits:
  Most people who love fruits do so because they have internal heat, and eating something cool feels more comfortable, but fruits do not clear internal heat; instead, they deplete yang energy. Eating too much can damage the stomach’s yang, causing a mix of cold and heat in the body. People with spleen and stomach yang deficiency often have loose stools, cold hands and feet throughout the year, and may be thin despite eating a lot or fat despite eating little. These people should eat less fruit.
• 4) Nuts:
  Some nuts are also triggering foods, such as pine nuts and broad beans.
  Recommended are walnuts, which help to consolidate qi and strengthen the kidneys.
  People with yin deficiency should eat fewer roasted snacks like sunflower seeds and peanuts, as eating too many can worsen dry mouth.
• 5) Snacks:
  Spicy strips, milk tea, ice pops, and beverages should especially be avoided, as they harm the spleen and stomach regardless of one’s constitution. Spicy strips deplete stomach yin, and milk tea can cause phlegm-dampness.
• 6) Other
  The above recommendations vary based on individual symptoms and constitution. For example, people with heavy phlegm-dampness should not eat much aquatic food, including turtles, soft-shelled turtles, and scaleless fish;
  People with yin deficiency and wind movement should eat less chicken feet, chicken wings, loach, eel, seafood, and green tea;
  People with poor liver, gallbladder, or intestines should not drink alcohol, as liquor harms the liver and gallbladder, and beer harms the spleen and stomach. Long-term drinkers often have diarrhea;
  People who easily get inflamed have heavy internal heat, so they should avoid hot pot, barbecue, fried, and baked foods;
  People with high blood pressure can reduce their dinner portion, and if not hungry, can skip dinner, but should not replace it with fruits or snacks;
  People prone to skin allergies should avoid mangoes and shrimp;
  People with heavy dampness should eat fewer beans.

III. Clothing Recommendations: The Science and Details of Keeping Warm

Many people do not know the standard for getting cold, and often, it starts unknowingly. The symptoms after getting cold are not just sneezing and a runny nose but can worsen underlying conditions.
Since the post-COVID era, people’s constitutions have generally declined, and often, cold pathogens do not stay on the surface but penetrate deep and lurk. Some people feel their sleep quality has worsened recently, or their rhinitis has worsened, or even their menstrual cycle is irregular, and eventually, it is found to be related to cold pathogens.
This includes many cases where medication was improving, but suddenly there was a relapse, which is also related to getting cold.

Getting cold is a common trigger for diseases, especially during seasonal changes. Here are more specific guidelines:

• Layered Clothing Method: Inner layer for sweat absorption (like a cotton T-shirt), middle layer for warmth (like a wool sweater), outer layer for wind protection (like a windbreaker), making it easy to adjust.
• Key Area Protection:
  • Neck: Wear a scarf to prevent the “rich man’s bump” from getting cold, avoiding shoulder and neck pain.
  • Abdomen: Wear high-waisted pants or a belly warmer to protect the spleen and stomach’s yang energy.
  • Feet: Wear socks after soaking feet at night to prevent cold from starting at the feet.
• Children’s Warmth Techniques: Children catch colds quickly and sweat easily, so it is recommended to use a sweat-absorbing towel before sleep, and change it promptly if it gets wet to avoid getting cold at night.

IV. Sleep and Sexual Activity Recommendations: The Core of Nurturing Energy

Go to bed on time at night, ideally before 11 PM. If you have trouble falling asleep and habitually use your phone at night, change this habit first; otherwise, it will counteract the effects of medication and hinder recovery.

Sleep and moderation in sexual activity directly affect the recovery of qi and blood:

• Optimizing Sleep Quality:
  • Bedtime Ritual: Drink a glass of warm milk or listen to 10 minutes of Zen music (such as “Cloud and Water Zen Heart” or “Traditional Chinese Medicine Healing Music”), to relax the mind and body.
  • Environment Adjustment: Keep the bedroom ventilated and avoid the blue light from electronic devices.
• Children’s Sleep Management: Avoid exciting games (like mobile phones) before bed for children, and use storytelling instead to help them fall asleep calmly.
• Reasons for Moderation in Sexual Activity: Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that essence is the foundation of life, and excessive consumption can lead to lower back pain, fatigue, and decreased immunity. Young people often report feeling more energetic after quitting masturbation.
  Young people with the bad habit of masturbation must change it and stop this harmful practice.
  For couples, those with poor constitutions should reduce sexual activity to no more than twice a month, and those with more severe conditions should abstain for at least six months. Otherwise, improvement will be delayed.
• Case Supplement: A 25-year-old man suffered from insomnia and memory loss due to masturbation. After quitting and going to bed early, his mental state improved significantly after two months.

V. Exercise Recommendations: Balancing Activity and Rest, Tailored to Individuals

1) Avoid Inactivity
Maintain a habit of regular exercise, avoid prolonged sitting, such as playing mahjong, watching TV, or using mobile phones and computers.
2) Avoid Excessive Activity
People with deficient qi and blood should not engage in intense exercise; they can take daily walks, do simple stretching exercises, or practice Tai Chi or Baduanjin.
People with deficient yang energy should especially avoid swimming.

Exercise can promote the flow of qi and blood, but too much is harmful:

• Suitable Groups:
  • Office Workers: Walk for 30 minutes a day or do 5 minutes of shoulder and neck stretches to relieve fatigue from sitting for long periods.
  • Exercises: Tai Chi or Baduanjin for 15 minutes each time to enhance physique without depleting qi.
  • Children: Outdoor running and jumping for half an hour to promote development and prevent indigestion.
• Avoidance Reminders: People with blood deficiency (such as dizziness and fatigue) should not run, people with yang deficiency (such as cold hands and feet) should not swim, and should wear a jacket to avoid cold.

Case Supplement:
A 50-year-old woman with a yang-deficient constitution insisted on swimming, resulting in colder hands and feet. After switching to daily walks, her sleep and appetite improved.

VI. Emotional Recommendations: Nurturing the Heart and Mind, Staying Away from Illness

Emotions are killers of health and need special attention:

• Emotional Management Techniques:
  • Deep Breathing Method: When angry, inhale deeply for 5 seconds, exhale slowly for 5 seconds, repeat 3 times.
  • Distraction: Watch the movie “The Four Lessons of Lian Chi” or listen to Cai Li Xu’s lectures to calm the mind.
• Guiding Children’s Emotions: When children throw tantrums, parents should stay calm and use hugs instead of scolding to gradually cultivate emotional stability.
• Community Support: Join our community to exchange with like-minded people and alleviate anxiety.

Conclusion: Health Starts with Small Steps

Recently, I reviewed all the patients and diseases I treated in 2024 and found that I treated the most pediatric and gynecological cases.

I have noticed that children’s constitutions are generally poor nowadays, especially with many cases of enlarged tonsils and adenoids. Additionally, issues like not growing in height or weight, excessive sweating at night, and restless sleep are common.

Since there are so many similar problems, are there common causes?

Of course, there are. The root causes of most children’s problems come from two points:

 1, Congenital Deficiency: The mother’s constitution was not good before pregnancy, and she did not pay attention to maintaining healthy lifestyle and dietary habits during pregnancy, which ultimately affected the child’s constitution.

 2, Acquired Habits: Lack of proper guidance in various aspects such as diet, sleep, and emotions. For example, many mothers do not seriously study how to feed their children and often think that if the child wants something, they should buy it for them, not realizing that indigestible food can be harmful.

Congenital deficiencies can be compensated for through acquired adjustments.

 I have written a detailed article called 《Pediatric Medical Advice》, where I have thoroughly explained beneficial dietary and other habits for health.