Wellness & Prevention
Seasonal tips, lifestyle advice, and preventive care from a TCM perspective.
74 articles · Page 1 of 8
Eating Vegetarian the TCM Way: What Plant-Based Diets Get Right and What They Miss
TCM is neither pro- nor anti-vegetarian — it asks whether your particular body is being nourished. The Neijing's famous line 'grains for nourishment, fruits for support, livestock for benefit, vegetables for supplement' holds the framework. Here is how vegetarians avoid the blood- and yang-deficiency traps.
Why You Crave Sugar: A TCM View on the Sweet Tooth
In Chinese medicine the sweet flavor belongs to the Spleen — a little strengthens digestion, but constant sugar cravings are usually read as a Spleen crying for help, not a weak will. Here is the TCM logic behind sugar cravings and what to do about it without white-knuckling.
Always Cold Hands and Feet? What TCM Says About Yang Deficiency, Qi Stagnation, and What Actually Helps
Cold hands and feet are usually harmless circulation, but TCM distinguishes four very different patterns behind them — from Yang deficiency to Qi stagnation — each with a different fix. Here is how to tell yours apart.
Eczema in TCM (湿疹): Damp-Heat, Spleen Deficiency, and Blood Dryness — The Three Stages and How to Treat Each
Learn how Traditional Chinese Medicine understands eczema (湿疹) — acute damp-heat, subacute spleen deficiency with dampness, and chronic blood deficiency with wind-dryness — with herbal strategies, washes, diet guidance, and realistic expectations.
Hemorrhoids in TCM (痔疮): Patterns, Sitz Baths, and Why the Spleen, Not Just the Anus, Is the Real Address
Learn how Traditional Chinese Medicine understands and treats hemorrhoids (痔疮) — damp-heat pouring downward, qi stagnation with blood stasis, and sinking spleen qi — with herbal sitz baths, Ku Shen and Huai Hua, the Chengshan acupoint, and daily prevention.
Edema and Water Retention in TCM: Why You're Puffy and How to Address It
Swollen ankles, puffy eyes, a heavy bloated feeling — water retention is one of the most common complaints in modern life. This TCM guide explains edema through Lung, Spleen, and Kidney dysfunction and offers diet, lifestyle, and acupressure strategies.
Lower Back Pain in TCM (腰痛): Why the Kidney Is the 'Mansion of the Lower Back'
Lower back pain (腰痛) is one of TCM's oldest complaints — and the textbook example of 'the Kidney governs the lower back.' Learn the four main patterns (Kidney deficiency, cold-damp, damp-heat, blood stasis), the points that matter, and how TCM thinks differently from 'just a pulled muscle.'
Vertigo and Dizziness in TCM (眩晕): 'No Phlegm, No Dizziness; No Wind, No Dizziness'
Dizziness and vertigo (眩晕) have a long, refined history in TCM. Learn the four classical patterns — Liver Yang rising, phlegm-damp clouding, Qi-and-blood deficiency, and Kidney essence deficiency — and the famous teaching 'no phlegm no dizziness, no wind no dizziness' that still guides treatment.
Summer Dampness in TCM: Why Summer Makes You Heavy, Foggy, and Tired — and How to Feel Light Again
Understand summer dampness (暑湿), the TCM pattern behind the heavy, foggy, tired, nauseous 'summer slump.' Learn why humid heat drains you, the foods and habits that clear it, and the warning signs that need real medical attention.
Acne in TCM (肺风粉刺): It Is a Lung, Stomach, and Hormone Problem, Not Just Skin
TCM calls acne 肺风粉刺 — 'Lung-wind prickly heat' — because it links breakouts to Lung heat, Stomach damp-heat, and disharmony of the 冲任 channels. Breakouts on the forehead, cheeks, chin, and chest each point to a different organ and a different treatment.