YIN QIANHE ON LONGEVITY - Brennan Translation PDF

7/29/2016
YINQIANHEONLONGEVITY|BrennanTranslation
BrennanTranslation
YINQIANHEONLONGEVITY
PostedonAugust7,2015
PROLONGING LIFE
or RIDDING ILLNESS WITHOUT MEDICINE
by Yin Qianhe
[published by Pole Star Press, Jan, 1961, revised and republished almost immediately
by Joined in Harmony Press, Feb, 1961 (both editions printed by Good
Advice Printing House)]
[translation by Paul Brennan, Aug, 2015]
by Yin Qianhe:
Prolonging Life
[calligraphy by] Yu Youren
https://brennantranslation.wordpress.com/2015/08/07/yinqianheonlongevity/
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AUTHORS GENERAL COMMENTS
1. My main aim with this book is a hope that you will keep fit by way of internal exercise, using psychology,
physiology, and natural principles to treat and cure illness, as well as methods of massage and first aid, and the
expressing of human willpower, to dispel illness invisibly. My compatriots, I urge you first toward health, then
onward to longevity. Laozi said [in the Ming Dynastys Complete Collection of Ancient & Modern Medical
Systems, book 100, chapter 3]: Our destiny lies with ourselves, not with Fate. It is entirely a matter of
building up ones health.
2. Everyone wants health and longevity, but the seven emotions [joy, rage, worry, obsessiveness, grief, fear,
shock] and six desires [seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, thinking] are difficult to resist. They can
subvert the path toward health and send you down the road to wrecking your life in a moment of indulgence. If
your lifestyle is excessive, it will cause illness. Even if the illness were treated and recovered from, your body
would already have been damaged. In this book is a treasure trove of methods for preventing illness and
lengthening life.
3. Someone may say: A person who gets sick will be healed by getting injections and swallowing medicines.
Although we cannot deny the effectiveness of medicines, if a body has already failed in its natural ability to
recover from an illness, then the medicines would be worthless anyway. Changes in metabolism are a natural
phenomena, and moreover, people consider food to be natural and know that the eating of medicine cannot
count as food. Therefore dealing with illness by way of injections and swallowings is inferior to early
prevention. By cultivating this habit, you will always preserve your health and be happy your whole life.
4. This book is divided into two parts:

Part One has to do with internal exercise to practice on your own and developing character. Included are
the practicalities of the interrelations of foods and the ways that foods treat illness.
Part Two has to do with illness prevention through physiology, psychology, natural principles, and human
willpower, all of which have been subjected to careful study, scrutinizing principles to determine what is to be
left out. The methods are exquisite and the theory is clear. It conforms to science and suits the masses.
If you get your hands on a copy of this book and sincerely make habitual use of it, illness will be prevented,
illness that you already have will be cured, and if you have an illness that is putting you in peril, here is
something you can put your confidence in and no longer need to have any fear. You can go your whole life
without medicine and remain always healthy.
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5. This book is extremely valuable for preventing illness, whether preventing or curing. The various illnesses are
all given clarifying explanations to make it easier for you to understand and there are a few photos added to
further aid you in your practice. [Of the mere eleven photos, seven are reused from Yins Baduanjin book, and
so this book contains a scant four original photos.] The material in this book is most suited to the
requirements of those in rural households, though it is people in stressful lifestyles who exhibit the most
symptoms. There are those who think that no treatment can have quick effects without medicine, but it is not
necessary to rely only on advice from doctors.
AUTHORS PREFACE
When I was young, I was often ill. Fortunately, I trained in martial arts and practiced methods of meditation
and cultivation, and so was able to recover my health, as I have explained in the prefaces of my previous books.
Through prolonged study of these skills, I gradually gained understanding, and the benefits I obtained from
them doubled. I especially gave frequent study to the principles of treating illness by way of internal exercise,
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seeking paths toward health.

Long ago, our ancient sages discussed these things, for instance in the Yellow Emperors Plain Girl Classic,
or in techniques of rejuvenation [expelling old air to take in new], Hua Tuos Five Animal Frolics, Damos
Sinew Changing Classic, Peng Zus methods of walking like a bear and stretching like a bird, or Baduanjin
[eight pieces of brocade]. All of those sages engaged in self-cultivation by way of such wonderful arts of
internal exercise for keeping fit and dispelling illness. It is very unfortunate they were unable to promote them
more widely, for in the meantime there were itinerant magicians happening to obtain a section of unicorn
hoof, themselves having no respect for the true arts, who made a big noise about its curative effects and how it
would heal a person with a single touch of it, hoping to sway an audience for their own selfish gain, a situation
not even deserving an intelligent persons laughter.
The prevention of illness is actually more important than the curing of it. Prevention can eliminate disease
invisibly. Not only does this save money and time, it also mitigates pain and risk. Inspired by this, I have taken
the secrets of the internal exercise of the ancient sages for keeping fit and dispelling illness, and modern
knowledge of psychology, physiology, natural principles, various methods of prevention and treatment,
hygiene, common first aid techniques, including valuable folk methods, and I have gathered broadly from all of
these things and studied deeply, examining their principles, using the ancient as a standard for the modern
and selecting from what is most profound.
Several decades of experience have been gathered into a book as a contribution to all, so that my
compatriots can save their money, be free from suffering, and maintain their health. So that we may discard
superstitions and be rid of the influence of traveling quacks, I also want to get everyone to know the way of
prevention being better than cure, and get rid of the suffering that comes from rashly submitting to medicines
and needles. My purpose in writing this book is for these techniques to be known in every household, family
members encouraging each other in perfecting prevention and sincerely practicing it. Surely this will lead to
marvelous effects, and then the health of our nations people can daily improve.
A common saying goes: Healthy poor people are happier than sick emperors. Another goes: Health is a
priceless treasure. A person who has carelessly fallen ill is embarrassed to talk about it. So he seeks out a
doctor of Western medicine and gets painful needles. Or he seeks out a doctor of Chinese medicine and gets
revolting tonics. It is still uncertain which version will be more effective, but when the body succumbs to
sickness and the mind is full of worry, how can such suffering be endured?
It is only when we get sick that we know the value of health, for it is only when we are healthy that we are
happiest. With a healthy body, one can then accomplish the greatest of undertakings. Someone may say:
Nowadays science is flourishing, so whenever someone gets sick, we have renowned doctors, excellent
medicine, and nothing to worry about. These words are not entirely accurate, as this common saying says so
well: No matter how effective a surgery is, it is not as good as not being cut open. Furthermore, doctors are
by no means all saints. Sometimes finding a doctor is not easy and the charlatans that come forward can end
up killing people. It should be understood that people can keep themselves healthy. It entirely depends on ones
vitality and the recuperative capacity of ones metabolism. Therefore it is said: Medicine will cure you when
you are not terminally ill. Doctors will cure you when you are not sick.
When we often engage in fitness exercise, it induces us to care about good hygiene and the principles of
physiology and psychology. Making use of physical ingenuity to prevent problems before they occur is a
hundred times better than having injections or taking pills while convalescing after an illness. Science
nowadays is indeed flourishing, yet still cannot fully overcome illness, old age, or death, nor does it have any
concrete methods for prolonging or extending life. Therefore in recent years, European and American
scientists conducting health care research have also been gradually concentrating more on prevention and
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issues of cultivating the psychological and spiritual aspects, attaching special importance to human willpower.
In compiling the internal exercises of the ancients, and the methods ancient and modern of preventing and
curing illness, I have included: stabilizing the emotions, self-massage, breathing exercises, and meditation, as
well as transformation through psychology, regulation through physiology, and treatment by way of natural
principles. There are also some effective and easy applications of medicines, some common sense about
hygiene, prevention, and methods of first aid. Everything is done with a scientific approach and explained in
extensive detail. And so this book is called Prolonging Life Ridding Illness Without Medicine.
If what I have written provides some benefit toward the health of my compatriots,
or further developments come about because of this book that lead to the preventing of illness and prolonging
of life throughout the nation so that all may enjoy health forever, it will be not only fortunate for the nation,
but also the fulfillment of my prayers. Therefore I have written this book indifferent to praise or blame, success
or failure, and ignoring how crude it is. I earnestly hope for the wisest in the world to give me corrections, for
which I would feel truly blessed.
written by Yin Qianhe (Baiqia) of Shandong in Zhanghua, Taiwan, Jan, 1961
Portrait of the author
CONTENTS
Part One: Internal Secrets of Keeping Fit and Ridding Illness
Chapter One: Cultivating what is True to Stabilize our Nature
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Section One: The Real Golden Elixir
Section Two: Cultivating Energy through Meditation
Section Three: Not Getting Lost in Desires
Section Four: Drinking the Longevity Potion
Section Five: Calming Your Heart and Nourishing Your Kidneys
Section Six: Maintaining Centeredness and Preserving Active Energy
Chapter Two: Staying Healthy to Live Longer
Section One: Harmonious Indifference
Section Two: Using the Breath to Rid Illness
Section Three: Treasuring Good Deeds to Keep Away Calamity
Chapter Three: Selections from Elixirist Literature
Section One: Adding Oil to Receive Life
Section Two: Concentrating Spirit and Cultivating Elixir
Section Three: Spirit and Energy Dependent on Quietude
Section Four: Gathering Energy and Opening Energy Junctures
Chapter Four: Techniques of Cultivating Fitness
Section One: With your hands holding each other, close your eyes and deepen your mind. (including
photo)
Section Two: Click your teeth and swallow your saliva, breathing continuously like a tortoise.
Section Three: Your tongue pressing to your upper palate, your intention is on regulating your breath.
Chapter Five: Secrets of Using Massage to Rid Illness
Section One: Wash your face and beat your drum. (including photo)
Section Two: Brightening the Eyes to be Like Precious Pearls

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Section Three: Opening the Sacrum and Raising the Shoulders (including photo)
Section Four: Hugging the Shoulders and Twisting (including photo)
Section Five: Massaging the Kidneys (including photo)
Section Six: Massaging the Jia Ji Acupoint (including photo)
Section Seven: Massaging the Elixir Field (including photo)
Section Eight: Dredge the well to wash your feet. (including photo)
Chapter Six: Meditation
Section One: Standing Meditation (including photo)
Section Two: Sitting Meditation (including photo)
Section Three: Meditation Lying Down (including photo)
Chapter Seven: Qigong
Section One: Explanation of Qigong
Section Two: Psychology in Qigong
Section Three: Lifting the Anus While Inhaling
Section Four: Regulating the Breath
Section Five: Abdominal Breathing
Section Six: The Art of Expel Old Air and Take in Fresh
Chapter Eight: Simple and Easy Massage Techniques
Chapter Nine: Sequence and Explanations for Internal Exercises
Section One: Practice Sequence
Section Two: Explaining Internal Exercise
Chapter Ten: Various Sayings about Health

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Section One: The Way of Health
Section Two: The Eight-Word Secret to Nourishing Life
Section Three: Health Lies Within Naturalness
Section Four: A Collection of Health Sayings
Section Five: In Common Sayings Lie Truth
Section Six: There is No Secret to Long Life
Chapter Eleven: Over a Hundred Effective Folk Prescriptions
Section One: The Head
Section Two: Internal Illnesses
Section Three: External Illnesses
Section Four: On Eating Inedible Foods and Dealing with Poisons
Section Five: Stranguria
Chapter Twelve: Bad Combinations of Foods and Food as Treatment for Illness
Section One: Bad Combinations of Foods
Section Two: Foods as Treatment for Illness
Part Two: Preventing and Treating Illness
Chapter Thirteen: Illnesses of the Head
Section One: Headache
Section Two: Eyes
Section Three: Ears, Nose, and Teeth
Section Four: Acute Inflammations of the Mouth or Tongue
Section Five: Sore Throat and Inflammation of the Neck

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Section Six: Wrinkles are Not an Illness
Section Seven: Preventing Baldness
Chapter Fourteen: Internal Illnesses
Section One: Lower Back Pain
Section Two: Methods of Preventing Varicose Veins
Section Three: Preventing High Blood Pressure
Section Four: Hands-On Therapy for Blood Stagnation
Section Five: Heart Disease
Section Six: Arthritis
Chapter Fifteen: Illnesses of the Digestive Organs
Section One: Chronic Gastroenteritis
Section Two: Gastric Ulcer
Section Three: Acute Gastritis
Section Four: Methods of Preventing Gastric Illness
Section Five: Dry Defecations and Constipation
Section Six: Childhood Diarrhea
Chapter Sixteen: Contagious Diseases
Section One: Malaria
Section Two: Common Cold
Section Three: Scarlet Fever
Section Four: Prevention and Treatment for Typhoid and Cholera
Section Five: Burning Fever

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Section Six: Recurrent Fever
Chapter Seventeen: Skin Diseases
Section One: Leprosy
Section Two: Measles
Section Three: Psoriasis
Section Four: Acne
Section Five: Hong Kong Foot
Section Six: Foods that Lead to Skin Diseases
Section Seven: Skin Ulcers
Chapter Eighteen: Sexual Illnesses
Section One: Nocturnal Emissions
Section Two: Shedding Essence
Section Three: Premature Ejaculation
Section Four: Impotence and Masturbation
Section Five: The Sex Dreams of Women
Section Six: Preventing Sexual Illness
Chapter Nineteen: Rescue in Life or Death Situations
Section One: Emergency Treatment in Matters of Life or Death
Section Two: Sunstroke
Section Three: Emergency Treatment after Taking Poisoning
Section Four: Stroke
Section Five: Electric Shock

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Section Six: Drowning
Section Seven: Concussions and Anemic Fainting Spells
Chapter Twenty: First Aid for External Injuries
Section One: Burns
Section Two: Scaldings
Section Three: Dog Bite
Section Four: Snake Bite
Section Five: Cuts, Scratches, and Abrasions
Section Six: Sprains
Section Seven: Animal and Insect Bites
Section Eight: Wasp or Bee Stings
Chapter Twenty-One: Food
Section One: Food Poisoning
Section Two: Food and Nutrition
Section Three: The Digestion of Food
Section Four: Swallowing Foreign Objects
Section Five: Foods Entering the Nose
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Pros and Cons of a Few Foods
Section One: Garlics Ability to Prevent Illness
Section Two: Chinese Turnip
Section Three: Seaweed
Section Four: Tobacco

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Section Five: Wine
Section Six: Tea
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Bodys Build
Section One: Fat or Thin
Section Two: On Being Too Short
Chapter Twenty-Four: Nervous Disorders
Section One: Nervous Disorders Caused by Your State of Mind
Section Two: Mental Disorders
Section Three: Manic Depression
Section Four: Epilepsy
Section Five: Shivering
Section Six: Hypochondria
Section Seven: Unidentified Pains
Section Eight: Insomnia
Section Nine: Neuralgia
Chapter Twenty-Five: Minor Issues
Section One: Sleep Issues
Section Two: Sleep and Heart Attack
Section Three: Snoring and Twitching Eyelids
Section Four: Sleepwalking
Section Five: Sneezing
Section Six: Stuttering

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Section Seven: The Benefits of Coughing
Section Eight: Hiccuping
Section Nine: Splinters and Fish Bones
Chapter Twenty-Six: Attention to Hygiene Can Protect Health
Section One: Paying Attention to Hygiene
Section Two: Drinking Water, Taking Baths, and Sweating
Section Three: Methods of Rubbing Feet with Hot Water and of Sitting Baths
Section Four: Monetary Notes Can Spread Disease
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Miscellaneous Illnesses
Section One: Motion Sickness
Section Two: Vitamin Overdose
Section Three: Fatigue
Section Four: Becoming Ill Because of Worry
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Will to Live
Section One: The Will to Live and Hidden Strengths
Section Two: Psychological Illness Cured by Psychological Means
Section Three: Early Senility
Section Four: Suicide
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Some Further Thoughts
Section One: An Assortment of Maxims
Section Two: The Vitality of Human Life
Section Three: Poems about the Right or Wrong Ways to Be

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Section Four: Untitled
Afterword
PART ONE: INTERNAL SECRETS OF KEEPING FIT AND RIDDING ILLNESS
CHAPTER ONE: CULTIVATING WHAT IS TRUE TO STABILIZE OUR NATURE
Section One: The Real Golden Elixir
[Attributed to Zhang Sanfeng:] When quiet for a long time, the mind will naturally stabilize. Once the mind is
stable, the breath will be regulated. With a settled mind, there will be nurturing of energy. With normal
breathing, there will be purity of mind. This is the key to stabilizing ones nature. Essence, energy, and spirit
are the three internal treasures. Ears, eyes, and mouth are the three external treasures. When the three
internal treasures are not consolidated, they drift away. When the three external treasures are not kept
centered, they harass you. Breathe quietly, long, and continuously, energy deeply entering your elixir field.
Then your mind will not think about external things, your spirit will not wander away to external things, and
your essence will not randomly stir.
This is the real golden elixir. It says in the classics [Altar of the Six Zen Patriarchs, chapter 5]: To be
separate from what is external is Zen. To have no disorder within is stability. When evil thoughts stir, ones
innate simplicity gets scattered, the innate quality is weakened, the acquired quality is difficult to preserve,
and there is consequently no benefit to body or mind. [From Books of Han, Bios part 42:] Nature says
nothing, the four seasons progress, and all things are born.
The human body is a creator the same as Nature, embodying cleanliness basing itself in stability, and
taking the mind of Nature as authority. Returning to innocence thus, the golden elixir will last forever, and you
will naturally be restoring life and returning to the root [referencing Daodejing, chapter 16]. There is a
saying [from True Meaning of the Daodejing, chapter 38]: When study gives rise to illness, taking a break is
medicine. [reminiscent of this commonsense in Ecclesiastes: Of making many books there is no end, and
much study is a weariness of the flesh.]
Section Two: Cultivating Energy through Meditation

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Generally during meditation, you must gather spirit and embrace energy, your intention and breath dwelling
within your elixir field as you inhale and exhale over and over, gathering and not scattering. Therefore energy
that is internally stored and energy that externally emanates are both associated with your elixir field. With
the passage of days and months, energy reaches to your limbs, flows through your vessels, filling tightly and
rising along your spine, traveling to your Ni Wan acupoint [another name for Bai Hui at the crown of the
head], and descending again to your elixir field. Concentrating spirit, gathering energy, and consolidating
essence are the three preparations, and with each breath are interdependent. When your skill reaches this
level, you have slightly built a foundation.
In ancient China, there was the practice of silent meditation, which was spread most of all by Buddhists.
Buddhist silent meditation was called sitting zen. The aim of it was stability, which can generate wisdom.
Wisdom is used to achieve Paramita [cross to the other shore / i.e. transcendent wisdom] in the quest to be
released from worldly cares. This type of wisdom expresses from ones inner being. Once in a state of extreme
quietude, it can be realized. Energy is in charge of spirit. Shape is where spirit resides. For those whose energy
had not been weakened, spirit had not been consumed, and essence had not been exhausted, all of them
achieved long life.
Not dwelling in distracting thoughts is clarity. Being calm and unaffected is tranquility. The Confucianists
say [paraphrasing from the Da Xue]: With tranquility, there can then be stability. With stability, there can
then be peace. [The Daoists say (attributed to Laozi in the Tai Ping Yu Lan):] To control ones thoughts is to
stabilize ones will. To quiet the body is to calm the spirit.
The cultivating of energy depends on essence. Contemplate this and forget it at the same time. When the
deeper mind is realized, then body and spirit will be merged into one. When body and spirit are one, then
internal energy will be sufficient. When your primal active aspect is flourishing, not only will illness be
eliminated, but you will also easily happen upon illumination.
Song of Cultivating Energy throughout the Four Seasons [from Wang Angs Collection of Prescriptions]:
In spring, xu [hushing] sharpens vision, the wood element supporting the liver.
In summer, he [scolding] expresses the heart, the fire element making you idle.
In autumn, stability is sought, the metal element moistening the lungs [by way of the xi (sighing) sound].
[In winter,] kidneys express chui [boasting] only when necessary, the water element establishing peace.
[In late summer,] the triple warmer expresses xi [giggling] when there is an aggravating level of heat.
By way of long exhalations throughout the year [hu-xi (breathing)], [the earth element in the spleen]
adjusts the liver.
Never breathe audibly,
then the practice will be a superior means of preserving calm.
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Section Three: Not Getting Lost in Desires
Generally, the human temperament is rather intense. The seven emotions and six sensory pleasures are
difficult to restrain. Happiness, anger, sorrow, joy, love, hate, lust, stress, fear all will change from one to
another inconsistently. One morning you are motivated by something, then life makes you forget what you
wanted to do. When you lose track of yourself, wicked thoughts arise. When you impulsively reach for things,
you lose your sense of shame. And then desires will increase excessively.
If one gets heavily lost in lust, it should be understood that such corruption arises from wanting. These
wants do not seem to emerge and thus lust builds unnoticed. Lustful longings are externally empty and a
lustful mind is internally fanciful. With such vain wishes, the mind hollows, and then you will become lost in
lust and lose your way. You must calm your temperament, compose yourself, maintain stillness, and practice
quietude. Restraining anger, fire will descend. Reducing desire, water will ascend. If thoughts do not move, you
can refine essence, and naturally vitality will be assured. If your mind does not move, vitality will be everpresent. If your intention does not move, you can gather spirit.
When the two energies merge and the three fundamentals blend, vitality is naturally restored. The three
fundamentals are essence, energy, and spirit. The two energies are the passive and active aspects. If you do not
become captivated by worldly things, vitality will be restored, your inherent nature will remain, and naturally
your spirit will be concentrated and your temperament will stabilize. The techniques of smelting elixir and
restoring ones active aspect, and the methods of longevity and agelessness lie entirely within this principle.
Section Four: Drinking the Longevity Potion
By constantly cultivating energy and loosening the joints, magic water (saliva) will manifest, circulating above
and below, a sweet dew descending and cycling around endlessly, swallowed down over and over. Once skill has
been achieved, spirit will not run away, energy will not leak out, spirit will return to the acupoints, the orifices
of the body will all be unblocked, fire will descend and water will ascend, and primal energy will flow smoothly.
Sweet dew will naturally fill the mouth to be swallowed down to the elixir field, where it condenses and is
cultivated. This is called the longevity potion.
On very hot days, ones spirit easily declines and ones temperament easily becomes irritable. You should
constantly partake of this longevity potion, also known as the jade fountain (the longevity potion being the
saliva in the mouth), for when the heart flourishes, saliva is abundant. It fill the mouth, gets steadily swallowed
down, and naturally freshens the five organs. Therefore there is a saying: For a person who wants to not die,
the jade fountain invigorates the body. This is the idea. It is also said [from the Yellow Courtyard Classic]:
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The clear waters of the jade fountain soak the tongue. If you can cultivate yourself in this manner, you can live
long.
Section Five: Calming Your Heart and Nourishing Your Kidneys
In methods of taking care of your body, calming your heart and nourishing your kidneys is the main principle.
If the heart can be calmed, then the fire of Li will not blaze outward. If the kidneys can be nourished, then
the water of Kan will not flood outward. If the fire does not blaze outward, you will be without nervous
disorders, and your heart will become still calmer. If the water does not flood outward, you will be without
ejaculation problems, and your kidneys will become still stronger. Thus the fire does not flare upward, the
mind is calm, and the fire merely warms below. Essence and spirit are concentrated together, forming infant
breathing, and naturally you will be able to prevent illness and prolong life. A Zen teacher said: All the
doorways of enlightenment lead to the same place, but a constant virtue starts from the heart.
As for the fire of the heart, it is the nature of fire to burn upward. As for the water of the kidneys, it is the
nature of water to flow downward. But this shows an ignorance of infant breathing and of quiet cultivation. If
it is difficult for the heart and kidneys to cooperate, water and fire will not complement each other, and you
will easily be plagued with problems such as headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, and nocturnal
emissions. Heart energy has to go downward and kidney energy has to go upward for the two to work together.
Calmness in the elixir field can dispel countless illnesses, and Buddhist or Daoist meditation is the authentic
means of achieving this. Ancient people said [Selections from Ancient Medical Texts, chapter 1]: Be clearing
your mind, you free your spirit, and then before things occur, you will already know how they will turn out.
[From Daodejing, chapter 47:] It is not necessary to leave your house to understand people. It is not necessary
to look out your window to see the Way. The mind is like unblocked water, which after a while clears to the
point that one can see all the way through to the bottom. This is spiritual illumination.
Section Six: Maintaining Centeredness and Preserving Active Energy
The Way is nothing but balance. Thus the Confucianists have called it reaching the center, Daoists have
called it holding to the center, and Buddhists have called it being empty in the center. Internal elixir is
deemed centeredness. It is the key to being centered. By way of it, you will become truly balanced. If you can
be humble and sincere, it is enough to maintain your active aspect. But if you are being dangerously
thoughtless toward yourself, you will diminish your active aspect. Studying books develops character and you
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should work hard at it. If you care about yourself and yet feel compelled toward luxuries, you will sweep away
all your work for the sake of immoral conduct.
Therefore one who cares about himself must keep his character centered. Mengzi [Zhang Sanfeng] said
[Chat between Water and Rock]: Cultivate your mind by reducing your desires. Maintain your
determination by conserving your energy. This is the genuine method cultivating the true Way. Thus Wang
Shuren called it the active brightness, Zhongli Quan called it the true active aspect, and L Yan called it the
pure active aspect. Ancient sages all guarded their active aspect.
CHAPTER TWO: STAYING HEALTHY TO LIVE LONGER
Section One: Harmonious Indifference
[From the Yun Ji Qi Qian, part 90:] A positive energy goes with spirits. A negative energy goes with ghosts.
An agitated energy goes with insects and reptiles. A random energy goes with birds and beasts. An evil energy
goes with demons. One with a violent energy is stupid and cruel. One with a hard energy is strict and tough.
One with a soft energy is benevolent and sincere. Therefore [from Huainanzi, chapter 14:] a gentleman is
correct in his behavior, whereas a petty man is corrupt in his behavior.
When energy is mild, kind, generous, or compassionate, it leads to longevity. It conforms to the ways of
nourishing life. Thus it is said [Zun Sheng Ba Jian, part 1]: Bland food cultivates energy. Dispelling anger
cultivates temperament. Being humble cultivates virtue. Maintaining tranquility cultivates the Way.
There is a saying [Books of Han, Bios part 6]: A harmonious energy brings luck, [whereas a contrary
energy brings the reverse.] It is also said: Indifference to your goals is the way to realize them. Tranquility
will take you far. Within patience lies the greatest learning. Within harmony lies your true nature. When
you are considerate, you will have more room to maneuver. When you are harmonious, you will have no limits
at all. The meanings here are profound. This is all a matter of cultivation. Mind, energy, and spirit merge into
one, something far more exquisite than a materialistic approach.
Section Two: Using the Breath to Rid Illness
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At the heart of it all as is the breath. Ancient people said [Peaceful Balance Chant, attributed to the Three
Mao Brothers]: The breath is a longevity medicine. The mind makes breath a spirit. If you can make this
spiritual breath abundant, you will thus obtain immortality.
Techniques of ridding illness:
1. When empty of energy, you should withdraw and build your resolve, nurturing yourself with internal
exercise.
2. When too full of energy, use massage and limbering exercises to disperse it.
3. When overheated, you should blow out warm air from your mouth and draw in cool air through your
nose.
4. When chilled, you should huddle under a blanket to maintain the temperature of your breath and stoke
up your fireplace to keep yourself warm.
These four methods are convenient at home.
[From Tao Hongjings Records on Training the Temperament to Lengthen Life, chapter 4, where he
attributes this to an earlier text The Receiving Energy Classic says:] Blow to dispel heat, shout to dispel
the effects of wind, give a sigh of sheesh to dispel anger, give a sigh of ahhh to get energy to lower, hiss to
loosen areas of stagnation, [and yawn to dispel exhaustion.] These are all methods of using the breath. People
say: No magic tonic has ever been seen to work. Making use of the breath to keep in good health is truly the
way of ridding illness. Here is a poem [from Leng Qians Main Ideas in Cultivating Longevity]:
When the liver hisses, the eyes darken.
When the lungs feel a choking, the hands rise.
When the heart sighs, the hands cross.
When the kidneys blow, the knees are embraced.
When the spleen shouts, the lips pout.
When the triple warmer gets overheated, the spleen is giggling.
When you blow out bad air, you suddenly want to run around.
When you hiss away illness, you quickly feel rejuvenated.
Cultivating the breath not only rids illness, it leads to great skill, produces the highest human enjoyment,
and will bring you back to your natural self, restoring you to your original state, revealing your mind and your
nature. When Nature and human are one thing, then you will have achieved the highest level.
Section Three: Treasuring Good Deeds to Keep Away Calamity
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People who pursue fame and wealth experience every sorrow there is, overwork their bodies in every way, harm
their bodies with sensual desires, waste their essence in debauchery with women, treating night as day. Beyond
being unrestrained with their bodies, they exist in a constant confusion, getting into drunken stupors, living a
life of luxury and dissipation, polluting the air with their smoking, losing their minds in madness, becoming ill
though without disease. To return to a more detached tranquility, treat doing good deeds as treasure, and as a
means to preventing misfortune. There is a saying [Books of Later Han, Bios part 34]: Doing good is the
greatest happiness.
If you do one good deed a day, even if no good fortune comes your way because of it, at least it will keep
away misfortune. If you do one evil deed a day, even if no misfortune comes your way because of it, it will push
aside good fortune. Doing good is like grass in a spring garden. You do not notice how much it grows in a day.
Doing evil is like a blade-sharpening stone. You do not notice how much gets honed away in a day. There is a
saying [Records of the Three Kingdoms, Books of Shu part 2]: In doing no evil at all, there is something
being done, but in doing no good at all, there is nothing being done.
[From Lu Jianquans List of Simple Means toward Enlightenment, part 2:] Always hearing good things,
your kidneys will not lose essence. Always saying good things, your heart will not lose spirit. [Always smelling
good things, your lungs can steady your ethereal soul.] Always seeing good things, your liver will nurture your
earthly soul. Always thinking good things, your spleen can nourish energy.
Never commit evil deeds in order to later avoid pains of conscience that no amount of repentance can deal
with. You should be aware of what you are doing and what the future will bring. With every thought and act,
be truly careful. You must not set your sights only on temporary pleasures that will cause you lifelong regret.
There is a saying [Book of Changes, commentary to Kun hexagram]: A household that gives to charity will
receive a greater inheritance. This is because doing good deeds can keep away calamity. It is also said: Goods
deeds are the greatest treasure throughout life. The mind provides a fine field for all generations to plow. The
most precious pearls or jade are inferior to such a treasure. Friends of wealth and rank do not compare to
friends of compassion. Whenever truths are clearly stated, they should be abided by.
Nowadays, public morality has declined. The recent generation is weak. The Way has faded. Treacherous
swindlers and cunning villains are everywhere. Therefore thinking people call out for moral re-armament in
hopes that everyone will remedy the situation by ridding evil and doing good deeds.
CHAPTER THREE: SELECTIONS FROM ELIXIRIST LITERATURE [specifically from the Immortal Classic of
Yin the Perfected]
Section One: Adding Oil to Receive Life
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The human body contains both the passive and active energies of the universe, made from the essence of both
parents and formed inside the mother. [From Immortal Classic, chapter 1:] We first receive energy in the
womb. The fetus is made by the mothers energy and blood, connected to the mother by but a thread which
gradually expands to a tube. Energy circulates, through the navel in front, through the kidneys behind, up the
spinal ridge, and down to the nose. This is called the earliest self. During this time, energy comes from the
mother, the mothers energy comes from the universe, and the energy of the universe comes from the Void. It
goes down this chain without any barrier. This nourishment is innate energy, and once it reaches a sufficient
level, the baby is born and the umbilical cord is cut. Once the primal active aspect has found its place at the
navel chakra, called the mind of Nature, the baby is fueled by acquired materials In other words, it is
through breathed air and food that metabolic function is maintained acquired energy.
As he breathes in and out, it is no longer a circuit of primal energy. From childhood to old age as we
breathe through our nostrils, we exhale our primal energy, sent out from within, and inhale the energy of the
universe, brought in from without. Provided our original material is good, breathing can then transform the
energy of the universe into longevity Ones life is thus dependent on oneself The breathing of energy into the
acupoints will naturally have a magical effect.
Zhang Sanfeng said: If you wish to keep a lamp lit longer, you must add more oil. In other words, living
longer is a matter of breathing more L Zu said: As the essence should be made full early, the way of
receiving life cannot be taught late. If you receive life, you will live long. If you do not, you will die young Liu
Haichan said: It is not clear why the dawn or dusk fades away. Essence and spirit are inevitably destroyed.
Through subtle wear and tear, and by way of gradual damage, ones primal active aspect is used up, the
machinery winds down, the breath ceases, and alas, we at last give up.
These methods of cultivation are very simple. While walking, sitting, or lying down, quiet your mind. The
energy stored in your spine, genuine innate energy, follows your breath to be mixed with the essence in your
elixir field, where our life is nourished. This stored energy is circulated from head to the tailbone, coursing
through every part, until the boundless energy of the universe fills our finite frames. This is natural and easy. If
you can concentrate spirit in your spine and keep it there until is ripened, you will be as clear and bright inside
as the moonlight on water. You naturally will extinguish vexation, eliminate doubts, ignore distractions, and
cease to have wicked thoughts. And thus you will have genuine breath and a natural appearance Your vitality
will be long assured This is the first stage in the dual cultivation of life and wisdom
To add oil and receive life, the most important things are conserving essence and regulating breath: The
foundation is to preserve our essence and spirit. When essence is abundant, it transforms into energy. When
energy is abundant, it transforms into power and fills the limbs. Therefore the primal energy within the body
will thus not depart with ones exhalations, but the energy of the universe will still enter with ones inhalations.
After a long time, infant breathing will become normal, essence and spirit will be secured, and you will be on
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the path to long life.
Section Two: Concentrating Spirit and Cultivating Elixir
[From Immortal Classic, chapter 2:] We have three parts to our minds: the human mind, the Daoist mind,
and the mind of Nature. The human mind is rash, the Daoist mind is illuminating, and the mind of Nature is
quiet. When we observe the mind, we find it is the Daoist mind that shines light on the mind of Nature. When
the Daoist mind is clear, the mind of Nature is revealed
When the six senses are stabilized and the many energy channels are calm, energy concentrates to the sides
of the spine, seeping into the life mansion, returning to the life gate, and accumulating about an inch and a
quarter below the navel, at a point called the spirit furnace. It then flows from this acupoint in coordination
with the breath to boost vitality
Spirit is the key. It dwells in the body. Spirit and body are merged into one. Do not neglect infant
breathing. Concentrate spirit into the acupoints. Withdraw your vision and listen inward, focusing upon
yourself. You subtract [externalities] in order to add [within], and thereby act with complete freedom. It is said
in the Surangama Sutra: If you can free yourself from one of your senses, you can be free from all of them.
With a little bit of sincerity, you can be independent, no need to rely on anyone, and be shining and pure.
The method of concentrating spirit in the acupoints is the key to the dual cultivation of life and wisdom If
you can realize this, then welcome primal spirit from your earliest ancestor, gathering the mind of Nature
into your energized acupoints. Continuously, without suddenness or impatience, draw it in close to you
Inhale and exhale contain each other. Spirit and energy embrace each other. These form the basis for
training the elixir. Sink it down to your elixir field, absorb it into your soul In supreme beauty, you melt and
transform. It is like the north star, keeping to its place while the other stars spin around it in salutation [Lun
Yu, 2.1]. This is the result of your primal spirit entering your acupoints. All of your energy is restored to its
original state. All of your spirit is listening to life. Your nature is returned to its true condition, and thus you
will be filled with elixir
Section Three: Spirit and Energy Dependent on Quietude
[From Immortal Classic, chapter 3:] The sacred valley spirit is silent. This is our true nature. Within the
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spirit furnace, energy is churned out unceasingly. This is genuine life The two merge into one. Spirit does
not depart from energy. Energy does not depart from spirit. Nature does not depart from life. Life does not
depart from nature. For each of these, they are one thing of two aspects, two aspects of one thing
Calmly breathing in silent meditation, open the sky gate to gather what is innate, close the earth door to
maintain infant breathing, receive the vital energy from the four seasons and return to your true abode,
cultivating the nature you had at birth With some work, you can seize Nature and wall off the passage of
time. It is truly the case that: After a long period of overcast gloom, spring breezes arrive. The highest skies
clear and the dew appears
The primal spirit and genuine energy embrace and depend on each other. Fullness of spirit and genuine
essence will naturally manifest. The body will feel calm and light. The spirit will feel full and bright Beyond
nourishing life, you will thus gradually also come to know the way of cultivating truth. Hence there is a saying:
With one thought of goodness, there is goodness. With one thought of evil, there is evil. The practice is a
matter of stillness. In a state of stillness, good thoughts are often produced.
Section Four: Gathering Energy and Opening Energy Junctures
Opening the energy junctures is the first step in cultivating your true self. Infant breathing is the basis of
gaining enlightenment. There has never been anyone who attended to infant breathing who did not experience
his energy junctures suddenly opening and longevity entering into his possession. It is said in the ancient
classics [Immortal Classic, chapter 4]: If your mind is not quiet while you sit in meditation, it is like turning a
millstone empty of grain. The method is not at fault, you are, and thus it will be difficult to avoid illness when
it comes
To open energy junctures, first calm your mind and enter into trance Open the sky gate to gather your
innate nature. Close the earth door to maintain infant breath Use intention to move energy, sinking it to
your tailbone Use mind to rouse spirit, use spirit to drive energy, use energy to soak fire, silently pouring it
on. After a hundred breaths, energy pouring down to the tailbone, the sacrum will naturally open up Once
the sacrum has opened, spirit joins with energy, and energy concentrates spirit. Your tongue touches the upper
palate. Your gaze turns inward to watch the crown of your head, energy moving to the Ni Wan acupoint,
warming it Genuine energy enters your brain and transforms your marrow
Practice every day without fail. The energy is like cloud vapors rising, coursing through the three junctures
to go directly to the purple mansion, where it gradually gathers and concentrates, spreading to the nine
palaces. Beyond nourishing your brain, it transforms into sweet dew and spreads through your veins. In this
way, the three junctures are cleared and your energy channels are harmonious. Energy fills upper body and
lower Moving through the twelve meridians, energy reaches all the way to the tips of your eighty-four
thousand hairs
Focus your mind and devote your attention to this authentic precious means of cultivating life. As the
Daoists say [from the Golden Light Charm]: The mysterious beginning of the universe is the origin of all
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things.
CHAPTER FOUR: TECHNIQUES OF CULTIVATING FITNESS [Much of the material in this chapter is
reworked from Chapter Eleven of Yins Baduanjin manual.]
Section One: With your hands holding each other, close your eyes and deepen your mind. (including photo)
[Much of the text for this section is also drawn from Min Xiaogens Thirteen Ancient Cultivation Principles
Explained.]
Our nations ancient sages had methods of cultivating fitness, the practice of which could prevent disease and
prolong life, so long as it was practiced over a long period. Called refining essence and cultivating energy,
returning to the true source, here is the art:
I begin by crossing my thumbs, the fingers curled halfway toward becoming fists. My mind is roused, but
only to thinking upon one thing balance between the passive and active aspects. With my hands now holding
each other, my mind obtains its primordial condition, and so the energy of my whole body is now made safe,
neither laboring nor idling, all gathered at the gates of paradise. My acquired energy is in a state of
smoothness and warmth. It gathers like condensation in a fog and the droplets fall into my mind. I then should
deepen my mind so that it will become settled. This exercise will put my mind into a state of unchanging
quietude, leading me into peace and void. Once my mind slips into authentic void, the energy of my whole
body will come to it in veneration. With the energy gathered into extreme harmony, there will then be a
moment of transformation that will happen all by itself.
Practicing this exercise will not show results in a short time. You will indeed have to keep working at it. Do
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not be daunted by the difficulties. Work at it, and then work at it more. The more you work at it, the more
effective it will be.
Section Two: Click your teeth and swallow your saliva, breathing continuously like a tortoise.
Once your mind and energy have become tranquil while you are sitting cross-legged or in a chair, knock your
teeth together thirty-six times. Then press your tongue to your upper palate for a long time to generate a large
quantity of saliva, and then swallow it down the more, the better. It says in the Lotus Sutra: Your white jade
teeth will go on to be holy relics. Your red lotus tongue is producing a glisten. Within your throat is sweet dew
slowly trickling down. Within your mind is pure truth dripping like cool water. This is describing the exercise
of knocking the teeth and swallowing saliva.
Teeth are the outermost expression of the bones. As they reveal the health of the body, age is also known
as the years of the teeth. Teeth are the first stage of digestion. If the teeth are not strong, it is a great
hindrance to digestion. The teeth also have a connection with the kidneys. Frequently knocking the teeth
together livens the body and refreshes the spirit, so that you will age but not decline. The tongue is pressed to
the upper palate, and so the root of the tongue is curled back.
A tortoise breathes without interruption, which can wash through its Ren meridian. Every winter, a tortoise
will neither move nor eat, in a state hardly alive but not quite dead, for it is hibernating. It relies entirely on
the pure energy of breath for survival. By way of Daoist breathing practice, you can significantly extend your
life span, and will then be able to practice these exercises for a long time. Generate saliva to be swallowed down
with a gulp, irrigating the five organs and pouring down into the elixir field, getting fire to descend. This can
invisibly dispel all illnesses. This swallowing of saliva is called the wine of longevity.
Section Three: Your tongue pressing to your upper palate, your intention is on regulating your breath. [Most
of the text for this section is again drawn from Thirteen Ancient Cultivation Principles Explained.]
The body is all mind. Its insubstantial aspect is the theoretical part of mind. Its substantial aspect is the
practical part of mind. In theory and practice, it is mind that is in charge. Therefore to the ancient people who
taught cultivation, the body is but mind. With the tongue pressing to the upper palate, the intention is to
regulate the heart.
What is the idea here? The tongue is the sprout [i.e. external expression] of the heart. The tongue pressing
to the upper palate makes the hearts spirit surge upward. Spirit is the leader of the energy. Energy is the
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commander of the blood. The effect of this is that my spirit rises to dwell in its primordial condition. With my
mind on my Ni Wan acupoint, I will naturally have a radiance. If I send this radiance to every part of my body,
the energy of my breath will follow it to my headtop, eyes, mouth, belly, and gradually manifest outwardly from
within. By sincerely practicing in this way, intent upon regulating the breath, there will naturally be
realization.
CHAPTER FIVE: SECRETS OF USING MASSAGE TO RID ILLNESS [Much of the material in this chapter is
again reworked from Chapter Eleven of Yins Baduanjin manual.]
The massage methods of ancient times usually emerged from sources such as Hua Tuos Five Animal Frolics, or
Peng Zus methods of walking like a bear and stretching like a bird. They each greatly conform to human
physiology and are performed according to those principles. They simultaneously cultivate the internal and
external, and so the effects of practice will be noticeable.
I hope the exquisiteness of these exercises will not go overlooked. Sick or old people lying abed can also
practice them, and will greatly experience a strengthening of body and curing of disease. You will see results
after one month, illness will have left the body after three months, and after six months your body will be at
ease and your spirit will be abundant. Going through them each morning without fail, the desired effect will
increase with each day. They are described individually below:
Section One: Wash your face and beat your drum. (including photo)
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The human body inherently has electricity. Generate it by rubbing. Rub your head and face until energy and
blood are flowing smoothly. You will over time be radiant with health and robust in spirit. The effects will be
the same as in modern electrotherapy. [Elixir courses through to] the area at the back of your head called the
jade pillow or clay pellet, and is the upper of the three energy junctures. Use your fingers to flick [the back
of your skull]
sounding the divine drum. By covering over your ears with both hands, your Ni Wan acupoint hears the call
of Heaven beckoning forth your life spirit, which gathers there until your hearing is keen. This exercise is the
basic method of opening the energy gates, capable of refreshing your brain and benefiting your spirit.
To wash your face and beat your drum, start by sitting upright, focus your spirit, settle your energy, and
clear your mind. Rub your hands together to make them hot, then put them over your face and rub, upwards
from your neck, as if washing your face. Then rub the sides of your nose until it is hot. Then cover over your
ears [and pull upward] several times. Then strike at the back of your head by way of your forefingers flicking
off of your middle fingers twenty-four times. It is also acceptable to simply smack at the back of your head with
both hands. Ever better is to do this one hand at a time while the other hand moves to your elixir field. This is
a very easy means of refreshing your brain. Regardless of which of these methods you use, a strong sound is
best. These exercises are best for preventing nasal congestion, unclogging ears, and treating high blood
pressure. I explained this exercise in Fitness Techniques on a Bed & Scientific Baduanjin, which can also be
referred to.
Section Two: Brightening the Eyes to be Like Precious Pearls
Quietly exercise your eyes by concentrating spirit. Energy ascends to the jade pillow and sweet dew
correspondingly descends, getting swallowed down. This way of exercising the eyes lubricates them and your
gaze shines bright like pearls.
There is another helpful method that is more vital:
Before getting up from bed, with your eyes still closed, make many circles with your eyeballs. This is called
spirit bathing the pearls. If you do this over a long period, your eyesight will be strengthened. The
strengthening of your eye muscles will prevent every kind of eye illness.
There is a still more important method of protecting your eyes and teeth:
When defecating in the evening, you must not close your eyes. You should open your eyes wide and gnash
your teeth. Opening your eyes wide makes them brighter. Gnashing your teeth makes them harder. In order to
keep your spirit from flowing out with your urine, this must not be overlooked.
Section Three: Opening the Sacrum and Raising the Shoulders (including photo)
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This section of exercise is essential for those cultivating health. As already explained, when genuine energy
passes through to the tailbone, a warm energy rushes through the spine, heating one vertebra after another,
reaching all the way to the headtop. If the sacrum area remains closed for a long period, the two dozen
vertebrae begin to silt up dirty deposits between them. If the area goes a long time without being worked, your
essence will weaken and there will be disorders such as abdominal distension, rib pains, rectal ulcers,
hemorrhoids, even producing heart problems, or ailments such as toothache, bloodshot eyes, dizziness, as well
as carbuncles on the back, or ulcers on the mouth or head. Therefore ancient sages invented this exercise long
ago to solve their problems.
The trick was to concentrate intention and energy in the sacrum, moving the anus as though forestalling
defecation, lifting the rectum while inhaling, and the energy withdraws and ascends. In this way, the sacrum
can gradually be opened up. I then slightly extend my head forward, sending intention upward from below,
raising my shoulders, and thus energy ascends through my vertebrae, seeming to have the effect of lifting me,
vertebra by vertebra. When I feel this energy arriving at my Ni Wan acupoint, the first stage of skill is
complete. Elixirist texts call this reversing the flow of the Yellow River. If this method is practiced for a long
time, it can prevent countless illnesses. In the photo, it is performed standing, but it can also be done while
sitting or walking.
Section Four: Hugging the Shoulders and Twisting (including photo)
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The Gao Mang acupoints on the sides of your shoulders are difficult to reach with acupuncture or
moxibustion. By frequently wrapping your hands over your shoulders and twisting, you can dispel all illnesses.
This can also exercise your chest, abdomen, and waist. The benefits to the body are wonderful. This much I
explained in Fitness Techniques on a Bed & Scientific Baduanjin. In this book, there is further explanation:
First put your right hand over your left shoulder, then your left hand over your right shoulder, with your
right elbow inside and your left elbow outside, and use a little strength to cover over the hollows of your
shoulders. Lift your rectum as you inhale, bringing energy down to your elixir field which is then sent to your
Ni Wan acupoint. Without your seating posture changing, your head goes along with your shoulders and your
shoulders go along with your waist. Slowly twist to the left and right twenty times. When your eyes are going
along with the movement by turning to look toward the same spot behind you, this indicates abundance of
primal energy. There is a saying: When illness enters Gao Mang, there is no medicine that can treat it. This
refers to very serious illness, which this exercise is used to prevent.
Section Five: Massaging the Kidneys (including photo)
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Ancient people had a saying: When the kidneys are warm, essence is generated. Rub the life gate acupoints
on the kidney meridians along your back to make them very hot. This automatically invigorates essence. Then
increase the cultivation aspect to get it to reach your elixir field for the essence to be transformed into energy,
whereupon you will be obtaining true benefit. If the essence is not moved thus, it will often go down into your
bladder, and may in a moment of sudden arousal be easily leaked away by way of nocturnal emissions. You
must then do the work of moving the energy after rubbing your kidneys, and this will begin to reduce lower
backache.
In a seated meditation posture, rub your hands together to heat them up, then rub the life gate acupoints
on the kidney meridians along your back thirty-six times. Frequent maintenance of kidney warmth can reduce
lower backache.
Section Six: Massaging the Jia Ji Acupoint (including photo)
According to traditional Chinese medical texts: The human body has eight extra-meridian channels. These
are energy channels and cannot be seen. If we could make a dissection of the passages of energy, there are two
meridians which are the most important. From the upper jaw, along the nose and the top of the head, along
the spine, and to the tailbone is called the Du [supervising] meridian. Thus it is said that vitality travels
along the Du meridian. From the lower jaw, along the respiratory tract, and to the bladder is called the Ren
[serving] meridian. With regular fitness exercise, vital energy can circulate through the whole body, the
meridians unimpeded, and thus you will be free from countless illnesses.
The Du meridian has three main junctures. The sacral region is the lowermost energy juncture. By rubbing
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it to make it hot, you prevent it from getting clogged up. Or if you rub the whole spine with a cloth until the
area reddens, it is also of great benefit. Physiologists call the area all along the spine the sympathetic nervous
system. The techniques of spinal massage they have developed all conform to the concept of opening up the
Du meridian. This channel is not a pathway for circulating blood, but for moving vital energy. Western medical
studies emphasize dissection. If something can actually be seen, then it can be believed in this is considered
science. If something cannot be found through dissection, it is judged to be unscientific. Though discussion in
traditional Chinese medicine of the energy channels has a very long history, further deep inquire is necessary.
There was a man some years ago who had an illness inside his spine which frequently caused him ache.
When he tried to get insurance from an insurance company, a doctor said his illness was too difficult to treat
and that he would be dead in two years, and he was therefore declined. He was therefore left with nothing but
to study meditation and massage techniques, and after several months, the three junctures of his Du meridian
had opened up and he was extraordinarily comfortable, his spirit was flourishing, his body was robust, and he
worked every day without fatigue. Some people say this is an inexplicable mystery, but it was nothing more
than his sacrum opening up and his Du meridian coursing energy through. (The tortoise goes through the
serving meridian and the deer goes through the supervising meridian, and thus you will have longevity.)
The Jia Ji acupoint is toward the end of the spine, two sections above the tailbone [therefore lumbar
region]. Blood vessels to the whole body pass through this area. Rub up and down with the forefinger and
middle finger of each hand, causing the kidneys and genitals to better coordinate with each other, improving
circulation and urination, producing limitless benefit.
Section Seven: Massaging the Elixir Field (including photo)
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The scrotum is greatly involved in a mans health. Therefore the condition of the scrotum is the easiest way for
a mans health to be gauged. It is generally the case for a man that if his scrotum is warm and shrunk in, he is
healthy, whereas if it is cold and hanging loose, he is unhealthy. Observe this of an infant boy when he falls ill,
how the scrotum at such times is always loose and hanging down.
In this exercise, a hand holds up your scrotum, thereby bringing energy and blood to it, keeping it healthy
and warm. The elixir field is like the root of a tree, and so nurturing the elixir field is like nurturing the roots of
a tree. If the roots are kept moist, the tree will not easily wither. Rubbing your elixir field in counterclockwise
circles promotes movement in your intestines and abdomen, aiding digestion. At the same time, your rectum
lifts as you inhale, and energy moves inside while the movement proceeds outside. Not only can this improve
the functioning of the genitals, as well as treating intestinal and stomach ailments, it also greatly helps treat
hemorrhoids and rectal prolapse.
This exercise can be performed while sitting, standing, or lying down, but sitting is the most neutral
position for it. Once you are seated upright, prop up your scrotum with your left hand and rub your elixir field
with your right hand, or prop up your scrotum with your right hand and rub your elixir field with your left
hand. If your scrotum is able to lift without support, it is not necessary to prop it up and you can use both
hands to rub your elixir field. Your rectum and genitals lift as you inhale. With each breath, rub your elixir
field six times. Take six breaths, meaning you will rub your elixir field thirty-six times.
A mnemonic says: With inhaling there is lifting, and thus energy returns to the lower abdomen. With
lifting there is swallowing, and thus fire and water will be in cooperation. If a man can preserve the health of
his genitals, he will never look old. He will be able to preserve his youth and vitality, prolonging his life.
Section Eight: Dredge the well to wash your feet. (including photo)
On the sole of the foot is the acupoint Yong Quan [bubbling well] where energy and blood course through. By
rubbing it, you can dispel inflammation, keep yourself from feeling excessively cold in winter, or reduce
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sweating during summer. Doing this exercise regularly can make your energy and blood harmonious, and you
will walk with vigor and vibrancy. This has a particularly marvelous effect upon the perambulating of the
elderly. It is also effective at treating athletes foot.
After washing your feet with water, dry them in this way:
Using your left hand to hold up your left foot, use your right hand to rub the Yong Quan acupoint thirty-six
times, until it is very hot, then rub the whole foot until it is hot and dried off. Switch to using your left hand to
rub your right foots Yong Quan acupoint thirty-six times, also until it is very hot, then also rub the whole foot
until it is hot and dried off. After finishing this exercise, it would be good to stand up and slowly walk around a
few dozen paces.
Practice these eight techniques every day after waking and before going to bed. If you practice in this way
without interruption, it will be an effective training for dealing with health issues. The effects will be
incredible, although if you do it sporadically, the results will be meager.
Included is a classical exercise formula for you to study:
A classical formula [Twelve-Part Meditation]:

[1] Sitting, close your eyes and shade your mind. Focus your spirit upon silent meditation.
[2] Knock your teeth thirty-six times. Hold Mt. Kunlun [i.e. the back of your head] with both hands.
[3] Your hands alternate sounding your divine drum for a total of twenty-four times.
[4] Gently sway the heavenly pillar [i.e. your neck].
[5] The red dragon [i.e. the tongue] stirs the water, swirling thirty-six times. Magic water fills the mouth.
There are three swallows for each mouthful of saliva. When the dragon acts, the tiger [i.e. energy] chases.
[6] Holding your breath, rub your hands until they are hot. Then massage your life gate behind you.
[7] Stop breathing with your mouth[and breathe instead through your nose]. Think the fire of your solar
plexus chakra down to your naval chakra.
[8] Roll the winch [i.e. make shoulder circles] left and right.
[9] Extend your legs in front of you and prop up the air with joined hands.
[10] Repeatedly [twelve times] lower your head toward your feet.
[11] Swirl the magic water around and around, then swallow it down nine times to produce a gurgling
sound. This will regulate all of your energy channels.
[12] After the churning of these water wheels, energy has filled the whole body. Now evil influences will
not dare to come near you, you will sleep without dreams, be unaffected by winter or summer weather,
terrible illness will never be born, and everything will be right with the world.
I hope that you will firmly take hold of these examples of our traditional heritage. If you absorb them all,
you will reach new heights.
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CHAPTER SIX: MEDITATION
Section One: Standing Meditation (including photo)
[From Double Cultivation of Life & Wisdom:] When the sky is clear and the air is fresh, use this meditation to
contribute its energy into your vitality: Feet on the ground, facing to the sky, hands joined behind you, draw in
air descending from the sky, swallow your saliva, gurgling to your elixir field. Now slightly close your eyes and
dim your mind. Breathe and cultivate spirit. Forget the past, ignore the future, let go of the present. Quiet your
mind and be pure. Your spirit gathers and your energy merges with it. [From Zhuangzi, chapter 11:] When
your eyes see nothing, your ears hear nothing, and your mind knows nothing, your spirit will maintain your
body, and your body will live long.
Practice this standing meditation on a crisp clear morning during the fresh air of sunrise. Face toward the
rising sun, gathering the dawn energy. Standing naturally, extend your left foot slightly outward, as though
adopting the posture of standing at ease. Your feet are both equally on the ground, but your right foot is
supporting you more and your left foot is mainly assisting. Sixty percent of the weight is on your right foot,
forty percent on your left foot. Your hands are behind you, palms facing upward, left hand propping up the
back of your right hand. If you switch to extending your right foot [with the weight then being more on your
left foot], then reverse the hand position as well. Breathe slowly, click your teeth, swallow down your saliva.
Your body and mind will be as invigorated as if you ate some kind of tonic. This is the method of standing
meditation.
Section Two: Sitting Meditation (including photo)
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The key is to calm the spirit. Strength lies in concentrating energy. If you wish to practice regulating your
breath, you must first dim your mind and sit silently. It is not necessary to sit cross-legged on the floor.
Ordinary sitting is fine. Although everyone sits basically the same, each persons concept of harmonizing
energy and guarding ones inner residence is unique.
The ears and eyes are the doorways, the heart the main hall. The average mans mind lives outside of him,
inviting music and sex into his space, disturbing his center. During sitting meditation, you have to dim your
senses, calm your mind and spirit. Music and sex will then not enter, and your center will not be disturbed.
Once thoughts are not arising in your mind, then you may sit. And when your inherent nature is unaffected,
you are then in a state of meditation [or zen]. [The term (zen) breaks down as solo revelation and
hence realizing the self.] It says in the text [Double Cultivation]: After sitting a long time, you forget
all you know, suddenly feeling as though the moon is there on the ground with you A cool breeze blows in to
refresh your lungs and liver.
During silent sitting, reduce your thoughts and desires, nurture your energy and gather your spirit. This is
the key to nourishing life. Zhuangzi was of the opinion that [Zhuangzi, chapter 26:] quietude can cure
illness. This must not be overlooked. The way of taking care of the body is to calm the heart and nurture the
kidneys. If the heart can be calm, your fire will not blaze outward. If your kidneys can be nurtured, your
water will not leak away. You have to be free of exacerbating mental agitation. Mind and spirit are to be
gathered together, joined in infant breathing. This can prevent illness and prolong life.
As for sitting meditation practice, without a teacher to guide you, you will perform it incorrectly, with too
much fire and eagerness. This is not only without benefit, it may even be harmful. Such demons or
obsessions will keep your mind from being calm and thereby produce abnormal physiological reactions. Thus
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you must not engage in it recklessly. As it is said: If your mind is not quiet while you sit in meditation, it is
like turning a millstone empty of grain. You have to be careful of this.
To enter a state of meditation, it is necessary to let go of all thoughts. If you suddenly feel agitated, stop
and take a break. When practicing sitting meditation, you should control your whole body so that your mind
can be calm and settled at your lower abdomen (i.e. the elixir field). After practicing this over a long period,
the muscles of your lower abdomen will be very elastic and you will be able to dispel stagnant blood, your
internal organs will feel more aware of imbalances, able to sense issues beforehand. Due to improved blood
circulation, it will consequently be difficult for illness to get started. Treating illness before it starts rather than
after it has become established is a hundred times more beneficial. The sitting meditation methods are
described below:
1. Single-lotus position:
Your right lower leg is over your left lower leg, or left over right. Your tongue lightly touches your upper
palate. Your intention stays at your elixir field. After breathing through your nose for about fifty breaths, lower
your tongue. The saliva that has accumulated in your mouth should be swallowed down rather than spat out.
2. Double-lotus position:
Put your right lower leg over your left lower leg, then also place your left lower leg over your right lower leg.
The soles of your feet are facing upward on top of your thighs. This posture is harder to do, and you will not be
able to without patience and long practice.
3. Legs naturally crossed:

Sit with your legs very naturally crossed. The various sitting positions all begin with ruling from behind a
screen [i.e. eyelids lowered], making the triple watching posture, meaning your eyes are watching your nose,
your nose is watching your mouth, and your mouth is watching your heart. Consciously observe yourself. Your
eyes are not fully closed, leaving a slight crack. Your mind is in shadow and your energy is calm. There is no
substance and no self. Here is an accompanying mnemonic poem:
That sitting body is not me.
All things are empty in my sight.
Distracting thoughts have been driven away.
No emotions stir within.
In each of the sitting positions, there is a slight smiling intention. Relax your whole body. Let everything be
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smooth and natural. Neither hunch your back nor stick out your chest. Your spine should be straight. Place
your hands at your lower abdomen, below your elixir field, one hand on top of the other with its thumb below
that of the other. If your feet become numb after sitting for a long time, you may rub them with your hands or
switch them to a different position. If you are not comfortable, do not force yourself. You may move around as
you please. Below is the ancient Meditation Song [attributed to Zhang Sanfeng] for your perusal:
When you begin to sit down and learn to meditate,
these ideas will seem obscure.
Breathe quietly and continuously,
the passive and active aspects cooking together in the cauldron.
Your nature should awaken and your vitality should pass through.
As your sit there cooking, the process should be allowed to take care of itself.
Close your eyes and watch with your mind, keeping your attention on your life essence.
The basis of it all is to clear your mind of desires and worries.
Section Three: Meditation Lying Down (including photo)
[From Double Cultivation:] A persons true self wanders off at night. If you sleep incautiously, you might have
nocturnal emissions, your energy leaking away upward. Your primal spirit leaves, unable to rely on your body
to keep it. Your three treasures are scattered. How can the human body be at peace? When a person sleeps, his
spirit withdraws into his elixir field, merging with his energy, water and fire blended together. Thus his
spirit does not run away outward and his energy is naturally calm. Spirit resides in the eyes by day, but is
stored away to ripen in the kidneys at night
If you sleep improperly, your spirit will be disordered and you will be swirling in nightmares, the issue of
cooking with a leaking cauldron. If you wish to fix this problem, you must use the method of five coiled
dragons: Lie down with your head sideways and your body sideways, like a coiled dragon or a dog with its
legs curled in. [The five dragons being coiled indicates the bend in each of the four limbs and the slight
slouch of the head.] One hand forms a pillow for the head, the other massages the navel area, one leg slightly
extended, the other bent in. Before the mind drifts off, the eyes become drowsy. Then you arrive at complete
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emptiness and quietude. In this way, your spirit and energy naturally return to their original condition, and
your breathing naturally becomes nourishing. You will not be regulating your breath, yet your breath will
naturally be regulated. You will not be deliberately calming your breath, yet your breath will naturally become
calm
Sleeping in this way, your body will feel stable, yet your mind will feel clear and lively, your energy will feel
harmonious and fresh, and your spirit will feel full and bright. Bad thoughts will disappear, insomnia will be
vanquished, sleep will be without disorder, and you will doze without nightmares. How then would you not be
healthy?
1. Lying on your back:

Face upward with your legs straightened. This posture is for practice, not for sleep. When practicing, it is
used for shorter periods so the mind stays in control. If you fall asleep, your mind will get boxed away. If you
fall asleep is this posture for a long time, it can cause four kinds of problems:
1. Your internal organs will not be harmoniously arranged.
2. You will easily snore.
3. There will easily be a heaviness in your chest.
4. Your legs being so straight can cause pressure in the thighs, easily leading to nocturnal emissions.
Lying on your side:

To keep the correct posture, lie down as you would sleep on your side. Either side is fine. Your head
sideways on the pillow is angled slightly forward and downward. One arm is bent so the hand is placed under
the cheek, the other hand massaging the elixir field. The leg below is slightly bent while the leg above is bent
halfway and in front of the leg below. Confucius said [Lun Yu, 7.16]: [Even in plain food, mere water for drink,
and] pillowing on a curled-up arm, there is joy to be found. [Wealth and status are to me as ephemeral as
clouds.] This conforms well to the method of meditating lying down.
[There are traditionally four meditation methods walking, standing, sitting, lying down. It is not clear why
Yin did not include description of the walking method.]
CHAPTER SEVEN: QIGONG
Section One: Explanation of Qigong
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Qigong was considered by our ancient sages to be the highest method of cultivating health.
It has an effectiveness that exceeds imagination. In traditional Chinese culture there are the three schools of
Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. Confucianists talk about fulfilling ones nature. They cherish the mind
to discipline the character, keeping to the middle ground and finding that principle in everything. Buddhists
talk about non-identity. They understand truth and thereby realize their own nature, countless ways returning
to one. Daoists talk about energy. They cultivate energy to refine their nature, the primeval condition of
embracing oneness.
These are all psychological studies, even having a deep source and a broad profound reasoning. There is
within a single theme stability. The work of making stability is the work of nurturing energy. It can be
considered a study of utilizing a return to oneness. Energy is something invisible, yet without it, the spirit is
weakened to exhaustion. When energy seems to wane, vitality collapses, therefore whether a person lives or
perishes is entirely a matter of energy.
What actually is qigong? Superficially speaking, qi means air. Human beings can go without air. In the
absence of air, there can be no life. As for methods of absorbing air, ways of breathing will be described below.
And gong means work. The method and the amount of time put into it build up to make a kind of
breathing exercise. Therefore breath work is as the term implies, a kind of breathing exercise. Within
breathing lies an inexhaustible element of vitality. Air is something produced by Nature. It is more important
to human life than food or water. A person could go a week without eating or drinking, but if there is no
breathing for even a short while, the result will be death. It is clear that breathing is more important than
drinking or eating.
If you can practice qigong frequently, it will produce marvelous effects upon your body. It might be said
that qigong is a metaphysical study, but it conforms to science. Or it might be said that it is a something
refined and difficult to attain, but this is a misunderstanding. It is precious learning for strengthening both
body and mind, for prolonging life. Its theory is profound, its method is simple, everyone can practice it, and
its effects are easily realized.
There are generally two types of qigong:
1. There is martial qigong. When it is trained for the back, it is called back skill. When it is trained for the
belly, it is called belly skill. When struck by an opponent, there is no injury. Therefore energy reaches to the
muscles to be mainly an external phenomenon.
2. There is the refining of energy to enhance the five organs called neigong [internal work]. This kind of
qigong draws energy into the elixir field and then spreads it to the whole body. This kind of qigong can be
called whole-bodied.
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They are both categorized as breathing exercise. Developing energy and cultivating a primal state will
nurture the body, gathering energy into an integrated whole comprising both thought and action. Daoists
cultivate energy to produce elixir. A chant says [first line of the Golden Light Incantation]: The primordial
universe is the source of all energies. This energy is the energy from both breathing and nutrition. Without
this energy, alas, death will strike in the midst of some breath. It is thus clear that human life depends on such
energy. Therefore practicing qigong can prevent illness and prolong life.
Section Two: Psychology in Qigong
Our nations methods of cultivating the Way to nurture health and refining energy to produce elixir are usually
passed off as being mystical, too profound to study. But generally when we talk of qigong, we do not say that it
was taught by immortals, rather that it was passed down by ancestors. If one is inclined to learn it, the custom
is that the training is especially strict and furthermore that it has to be passed down through personal
instruction. The training manuals treat it as a treasure.
Although they have been passed through many hands, repeatedly transcribed, and so much was left out,
apparently the ancient physicians discussed qigong commonly. What they said appears difficult to understand
and seems filled with obscurities. In this way, it does not come down to us. The more it is taught, the less it
gets taught, errors compounded upon errors. Although later generations go in for more and more mystical
gibberish, practitioners are not focusing their minds anyway, and so gradually the teaching becomes
something different altogether. Therefore with the true teaching too hard to find, the deeper levels of the
teaching cannot be understood, and people end up simply repeating the empty words of other people.
Recently there are a great many people advocating the practice of qigong. The various types of qigong are
somewhat different, but their methods and goals are mostly the same. Although my intention in practicing
qigong is to emphasize energy, imagination is also very important. Wherever thought goes, a mass of energy
seems to follow it, passing through the whole body, and has an indirect effect upon the beginning of illness. If
we make use of imagination, concentrating spirit and extending it to every part, this first causes intention to
arrive, then energy to course through, and then bloodflow becomes unimpeded. With both energy and blood
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flowing freely, illness is naturally eliminated. Therefore in the practice of cultivating health, imagination is
indispensable.
Practice can solidify ones faith in it, which after a long time becomes habitual. So success will naturally be
assured and effects will daily become apparent. But if it is practiced half-heartedly, there will always be some
doubts about it. If you are listening to music while practicing, or practicing while sleepy, your intention will
not be pure, your spirit will not be concentrated, and the subtleties of the art will be nullified. Mind and body
in their waxings and wanings influence each other. When there is harmony between them, this creates a
tranquil centeredness, and they fully become one.
In the ancient Yellow Emperors Plain Girl Classic and the Art of Lovemaking, there is the art of expel the
old and take in the new, which means breathing exercise. According to Ji Kangs cultivation theory: Breathe
to expel the old and take in the new. Eat food to nourish the body. The idea of expel the old and take in the
new is the same as ordinary breathing, but with the addition of a special kind of exercise.
When we talk of qigong, we cannot ignore the training of the temperament. Imagination is an important
consideration when refining energy for self-cultivation. Indeed it cannot be discussed without the concept of
mental realization, which can lead to philosophical understanding, what Confucianists call nurturing ones
energy. Mengzi said [Mengzi, chapter 2a]: I am good at nurturing my noble energy. Wang Yangming said:
Theory and energy are equally important.
Yuan Liaofan wrote his Meditation Secrets and in recent times there is Mr. Okadas Meditation Method by
Okada Torajiro. They both of these elaborate upon the subtleties of breathing as a means of nourishing life.
Although their meditation methods are of the Tendai School and thus emphasize a quest for stability, they
nevertheless contain the Daoist methods of cultivating energy.
Therefore the training and nurturing of energy is taken seriously in all of the three traditions of Confucian,
Buddhism, and Daoism. People often engage in these exercises not only to benefit body and mind, but also to
develop the self-training required for fulfilling some entrepreneurial ambition. Wen Tianxiang used the notion
of a true energy matches many energies to nurture his noble energy. An ancient philosopher once said [L
Kun Groanings, chapter 7]: Without energy, the tasks of the people in the world are of no use. Therefore
energy should be stored rather than leaked away, restrained rather than roused. This also expresses the
importance of cultivating energy.
Section Three: Lifting the Anus While Inhaling
The method of practicing lifting your anus while inhaling has already been briefly described. Here it is below in
more detail:
This method can be performed while standing, sitting, or lying down. Slightly close your eyes and look
upward toward your headtop (looking with intention [rather than rolling your eyes back), your tongue
touching your upper palate. While inhaling, withdraw your anus, as though delaying a bowel movement. At
this moment, your testicles will also be drawn upward and inward. After you inhale, hold this position without
releasing until you can hold it no longer, then exhale and switch to the second breath.
If this method is performed frequently, it will be effective for ailments such as nocturnal emissions and
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hemorrhoids. If you can perform lifting your anus while inhaling for a minute after each defecation and
urination, it will be of great help in preventing such ailments. A mnemonic goes: With inhaling there is lifting
[of the anus], and thus energy returns to the lower abdomen. With lifting there is swallowing [of saliva], and
thus fire and water will be in cooperation. It says in the ancient Yellow Emperors Plain Girl Classic: One
hand rubs while the other hand holds, then switch hands. Do this eighty-one times, and then your genuine
active aspect will be kept from dissipating. This indeed conforms to scientific internal exercise.
Section Four: Regulating the Breath
Air going out being the exhalation and air coming in being the inhalation, one exhale and one inhale makes
one breath. When regulating your breath, you should emphasize quietude, which calms the temperament, and
then the breath can nurture the body. Quietude is the key prerequisite in qigong. If you want to regulate your
breath, you must first regulate your body, and to regulate your body, you must first regulate your mind. But
these three things must be worked on at the same time. Therefore you must use the correct posture when
practicing. Although it can practiced when sitting, standing, or lying down, it cannot be done in some random
posture.
You must during the practice be extra mindful. You should have a serene composure, but should also take
the exercise seriously. To regulate the mind, pay no attention to anything external. Focus your thoughts within
your lower abdomen. Create your own world of tranquility, keeping your intention at your elixir field. Breathe
naturally and quietly through your nose. You will gradually achieve quietude, stability, delicacy, leisureliness,
evenness, deep and long well-coordinated breathing. The exercise will become so balanced, you can achieve
such long and fine breaths that your ears will cease to notice sounds.
Having generated such subtleties, then whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, at any free
moment you are not disconnected from these principles. Even if you are sitting on a bus or boat, your posture
askew, you can still regulate your breath. You should maintain this state of mind. As long as your essence,
mind, and energy are at ease, you can reduce fatigue. Breath is the root of maintaining life. It should be
comfortable, natural, long, and deep. After practicing over a long period, energy will gather into your elixir
field, and then your noble energy will naturally fill your whole body, doubling your progress toward longevity.
Section Five: Abdominal Breathing
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Pick a quiet place with lots of fresh air. Calm your mind and balance your energy. Your head should be erect,
feet spread apart to shoulder width, legs slightly bent. Your hands are placed in front of your lower abdomen,
close to your belly. Your eyes are looking downward as your watch with your consciousness. Gather your
thoughts, very naturally keeping your intention at your elixir field. With each thought, unceasingly hold your
intention there. Now, with your mouth closed, inhale through your nose, inhaling deeply, sending energy to
your abdomen, making your belly bulge. You should not use any intentional effort, just allow it to be natural.
Then withdraw your belly to press out all the stale air. As your belly withdraws, it hollows inward. Then inhale
again as above for a total of ten breaths.
Your internal organs will become energized and active. This exercise can enhance their function and will aid
digestion, and stagnant blood in the abdomen will be made to flow smoothly once again. Your blood vessels will
be livened and the five major organs will be rejuvenated. The exercise has been described for a standing
posture, but can also be done while sitting, lying down, or walking. If you practice this over a long period, it
will have an extraordinary effect upon heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, lung disease, and
diabetes. But this is too easily said. You must practice with patience and perseverance to get such effects.
Pregnant women and women recovering from labor must not practice this. Pregnant women will risk
having a miscarriage and women recovering from labor will risk harming their genitals.
Section Six: The Art of Expel Old Air and Take in Fresh
To expel old air and take in fresh means to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. There is
the method of swelling the belly belly breathing and also the method of swelling both the belly and chest
belly and chest breathing. Once you have fully inhaled through your nose, swelling your belly or chest, then
exhale fully through your mouth, your belly and chest correspondingly withdrawing, and then commence your
second breath with a new inhale.
When you exhale, you should not open your mouth wide, instead keeping your lips close together, only
slightly apart. Exhale the air from within your abdomen slowly. You should exhale as completely as the inside
of your abdomen feels to be appropriate. When you exhale, send out the impure air from within your body.
When you inhale, take in the pure air from the outside world. While breathing, gather the beauty of sky and
ground, obtain the splendor of sun and moon, but also maintain the subtlety of breathing deep and long. Each
of these methods of breathing is a natural remedy for illness more effective than medicine.
After many days of this, it will seem as though there is a gleaming pearl congealing into form within your
elixir field, radiating a brilliant shine outward from your body in all directions, and this jewelness will move
throughout your whole body, arriving everywhere, and everywhere producing this glow. You will always feel
heat in your thighs as you walk. Once you reach this level, you have achieved something of the miraculous.
Congratulations to you! You have attained the goal of preventing illness and prolonging life.
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CHAPTER EIGHT: SIMPLE AND EASY MASSAGE TECHNIQUES
1. Massaging the ears:

Use both hands to rub up and down on the upper part of your ears ten or more times. Then cover your ears
with both hands and press and release several times, the release like pulling out a cork. This can dispel ringing
in your ears and prevent hearing loss. Adding the practice of sounding the divine drum (as in Chapter Five)
prevents and treats dizziness, headache, and other ailments.
2. Rubbing the eyes:

When you awake in the morning, do not open your eyes right away, but keep them first slightly closed and
use the middle joint of your thumbs to gently rub back and forth across your eyelids ten or more times, which
will loosen your eyelids. With your eyes still closed, rotate your eyeballs up and down, left and right, ten or
more times. This can prevent eye disease and improve vision. When urinating, whether during the day or
night, you should open your eyes wide to keep the brightness of your gaze from drooping and draining away.
3. Massaging the nose:

Rub together your thumbs, or your forefingers at the middle joint, to make them warm,
then gently and slowly rub the sides of your nose ten or more times. Plug your right nostril with the bent
middle knuckle of your left forefinger and inhale through your left nostril, then plug your left nostril with the
bent middle knuckle of your right forefinger and exhale through your right nostril. Doing this a few dozen
times can prevent overflowing emotions, as well as being stuffed up and other ailments.
4. Rubbing the shoulders and knees:

First use your left palm to rub your right shoulder, then your right palm to rub your left shoulder, ten or
more times each. This can prevent arthritis in your arms. After you finish rubbing your shoulders, then work
on your knees. Use both hands to rub your knees at the same time, rubbing a few dozen times. This can prevent
arthritis in your legs, as well as enhance leg strength. This conforms to the special practices in Chapter Five of
using massage to dispel illness, and will increase their effectiveness.
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5. Massaging the whole body:

This is commonly called taking a dry bath. When you get up each morning and are wearing only your
underwear and have not yet put on other clothes, stand with your legs spread, or in a horse-riding stance. Rub
your hands together to make them hot, then rub your whole body, from your head, face, and arms, to your
chest, belly, and legs, getting gradually quicker, until your whole body has been rubbed uniformly and your
skin is rosy and warm. If you practice this over a long time, not only will your skin become firmer, your blood
circulation will also be improved and you will never begin to have any kind of skin disease, making this a
genuinely good piece of exercise.
I used to know well a soldier named Hu who would every morning do this massage naked, even in the dead
of winter. He never felt the cold at all and his body seemed to produce steam. He said: If you practice this for
more than ten years, you will never have any skin diseases. It can be said that he revered the wondrous arts of
ridding illness, since his breakfasts consisted of half a cup of mung beans and a piece of red radish. Other
people would have found this unappealing, but he was indifferent to pleasure.
CHAPTER NINE: SEQUENCE AND EXPLANATIONS FOR INTERNAL EXERCISES
Section One: Practice Sequence
When practicing, arrange a peaceful environment. Set up a quiet room with natural light, tidy furniture,
hanging drapes, and burning incense. Strive for simplicity: a desk with pen and ink, wall hangings of Buddha
images, and shelves with many books of wisdom. Do not place many toys around you. Avoid distractions for
your ears and eyes.
Many practice in the morning or evening, and there are also those who practice at noon or at midnight.
Always begin by rinsing your mouth with warm water, then heave three big sighs, breathing out from your
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belly. Sit with good posture, back slightly straightened. Your mind should be steady and your spirit should be
calm.
[1] Close your eyes and deepen your mind.
[2] Knock your teeth together thirty-six times. This rouses the muscles and bones of your whole body. Press
your tongue to your upper palate, which generates saliva for you to swallow down. Get at least three gulps, your
intention sending it down to your elixir field, thus bringing energy down to the five organs as well.
[3] Rub your hands together to make them hot, then rub your face as if washing, rub the sides of your nose,
and rub from your ears to the middle of your forehead. Every rub [of this sinus massage] will cause your breath
to become slightly clearer. Now cover your ears with both hands several times, then alternately flick the
forefinger off the middle finger against your occipital bone twenty-four times.
[4] Hug your shoulders and twist until you are looking behind yourself twenty four times.
[5] Use both hands to massage your lower back and kidneys, up and down thirty-six times.
[6] Use your middle and forefingers to rub your Jia Ji acupoint thirty-six times.
[7] With your left hand drawing up your scrotum, use your right hand to rub your elixir field thirty-six
times, then switch hands and repeat.
[8] Pick up your left foot with your left hand and rub the sole with your right hand thirty-six times, then
switch to your right hand picking up your right foot and your left hand rubbing your right sole likewise.
This set of exercises unblocks the energy pathways throughout your body. When you have finished these
exercises, you may take a short rest, or you may choose to do some meditation, qigong, or breathing exercises,
all of which have these subtleties: they contain the gaze of your eyes, concentrate inward the hearing of your
ears, conduct breathing through your nose, and close off the energy of your tongue.
Generate saliva, and gently swallow it down. Have the idea of intangibly moving it, slowly and leisurely,
down past your solar plexus, through your abdominal cavity, down to your elixir field. Then take it from your
bladder into both legs, downward past your knees, then over the backs of your feet, arriving at the soles. Then
go from the soles, taking it upward again, past the backs of your knees, lifting up to your rectum. Then go from
your tailbone to the center of your back, to both shoulders, to your brain, and envision it at your headtop.
Draw it across to your forehead and bring it back to the place of your tongue meeting your upper palate, which
is generating new saliva into your mouth to again by drawn to your elixir field, etc. This is called the
circulation of energy, which clears your vessels and orifices.
When you finish, stand up, and with your left hand on your belly and the back of your right hand on your
lower back, walk a few dozen steps like a pigeon. The stagnancies in your body will have been washed away and
your whole body will be cleared through of obstructions, and so naturally you will be able to say you have
gained more length to your life.
Section Two: Explaining Internal Exercise
Internal fitness methods are controlled by internal physiological changes, preserving life and health to
overcome age and promote endless youth. Death is difficult to overcome, but if you wish to put it off for a few
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extra years and increase the youthfulness of your old age, this can most definitely be done. This practice
promotes internal health and extends life span more effectively than all the medicines you might seek. There
are some who say that hormone injections can increase vitality in old age, but once you get into the habit, you
have to take them all the time for it to be effective.
Modern science usually emphasizes the physical, but what our nations internal exercises emphasize is the
mental, and so it is called exercise aimed at the temperament. This kind of exercise not only builds the
physique and extends life span, it also focuses on the cultivation of mind and spirit. It conforms to the Way of
both sky and ground, it follows the theory of both passive and active, it merges with the function of both
movement and stillness, and it accepts the necessity for both hardness and softness. It develops your acquired
aspect to compensate for the ways in which your innate aspect is insufficient.
The transformativeness of this training is difficult to estimate. It says in the Historical Records [Bios part
3] that Laozi lived past a hundred [hundred and sixty], maybe even past two hundred, for no other reason
than that his mastery of internal exercise was so profound [because he nurtured longevity by cultivating the
Way]. As Laozi said: Our destiny lies with ourselves, not with Fate. It is entirely a matter of building up ones
health.
CHAPTER TEN: VARIOUS SAYINGS ABOUT HEALTH
Section One: The Way of Health
A saying goes: Health is the basis of happiness. It is also said: Success in any endeavor depends on the
health of the body. These sayings are indeed correct, for it is only when we have health that we are truly
happy. People take note of this for the most part, but then tend toward enjoyment and material fulfillment,
with the result that they feel still more uncomfortable. It is actually not that difficult to preserve your health
provided you do not violate the principles of health and you practice them perseveringly. Here are listed the
most ordinary pieces of advice about health, which everyone should put into practice:
1. Do not go to sleep late at night.
2. Do not consume unwashed foods or eat excessive amounts.
3. You should keep your living space clean and maintain good air circulation.
4. Do not read when in a car or in strong sunshine.
5. Put on more clothes during cold weather, but not articles that expose parts to the cold.
6. Do not let your mood become either agitated or melancholic.
7. Do not become lazy and lethargic.
Do not look down on or neglect these small rules, instead give them constant attention, and you will
naturally reduce the approach of illness.
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Section Two: The Eight-Word Secret to Nourishing Life
Restrain anger. Curb lust. Exercise more. Eat less. These eight brief words have an extended significance. If
you can put them into practice, they are the greatest ways of nourishing life, the best methods of preserving
health.
If you are not angry, your hearts fire does not rush upward.
If you curb your lust, not only will you end up with less guilt, you will also preserve your essence and nurture
your spirit.
Frequent proper exercise promotes blood circulation and heartier digestive function.
When you do not eat beyond satiety, it gives a refreshing rest to your stomach and intestines. When your
digestive organs are comfortable, there will be no occurrence of painful indigestion.
It is also said: Do not eat until you are hungry, then stop before you are full. Food is delicious for one who
is hungry. Drink is delightful for one who is thirsty. These too are words of wisdom. It is also said: It is
through the mouth that illness enters and misfortune emerges [i.e. because of foolish eating and foolish
talking]. When food is underseasoned, your energy will be clear and your spirit will be bright. The body
should be frequently worked and its meals should be frequently reduced. These phrases are yet more wisdom.
Section Three: Health Lies Within Naturalness
A certain rich man was often ill. Even though he had plenty to eat and lots of medicine, his health was still
inferior to that of a certain poor man, and he found this to be very strange. One day the rich man asked the
poor man: The gaps in your nutrition and the reduced circumstances of your livelihood make a very different
lifestyle to mine, so why does my health seem worse than yours? Why? Please tell me what techniques I should
study.
The poor man laughed and said: My wife was born ugly. My food grows only a hundred paces away. My
mood is always happy. The wind washes my head while I sleep.
The rich man did not fully understand this, so the poor man explained: Because my wife is ugly and dull, I
do not get consumed by lust.
My food is nothing exotic from over mountains and seas. I wait until I am hungry, and so some white rice
and green vegetables are perfectly fragrant and delicious. The idle fat rich think delicacies are foods that are
difficult to obtain.
I am always happy because I have no thought of fame or wealth, and so I do not have the bitterness of
frustration or disappointment. I am content with my lot in life.
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The wind washes my head because my home has holes in it and so the fresh air flows through. While I sleep
during the night, I am getting lungfuls of fresh air.
After the rich man listened to all of this, he sighed and repeated the common saying: Poor people are often
robust while rich people cling to medicine. True words indeed.
Section Four: A Collection of Health Sayings
1. In winter, do not get overheated. In summer, do not cool off too much. In eating, do not get overfull. In
drinking, do not take in too much. Despite their simplicity, these phrases have deep significance, for although
they are easy to say, they are difficult to put into practice. A saying goes: If you seek longevity, you should
clean out your intestines. These are words of wisdom.
2. It is common for study to increase knowledge. It is rare for gossiping to nourish spirit. Study is good, but
good students are rare. Gossip is not good, yet gossipers are common. [From New Books of Tang, Bios part
41:] When there are no problems in the world, ordinary people make problems for themselves. Society
nowadays is full of such people.
3. Stand like a pine tree, sit like a bell, walk like the wind, and lie like a bow. Carefully ponder the deeper
meanings of these things.
4. When drinking wine, it is noblest to not get drunk. When looking at a beautiful woman, it is more
handsome to not get carried away with praising her. When possessing wealth, if you do not use it dishonorably,
it will not invite thieves. When accumulating power, what is cultivated is illness and the diminishing of
oneself. The expression wine, women, wealth, and power should be ruminated upon.
5. If you want to avoid coming to grief, you must avoid drinking wine early, drinking tea late, and having sex
at dawn. Drinking wine early can delay all of your tasks. Drinking tea late can make you irritable or cause
insomnia. Having sex immediately after waking will dramatically diminish you physically and mentally. It is
also said: If you have sex before a thirty-mile walk, you will become ill. If you have sex after a thirty-mile walk,
you will die. And so it should be especially avoided. Nowadays there are cars, airplanes, and steamboats, and
so it is not necessary to travel on foot, but if the following day you have a lot of work to do, you should avoid
being lustful the night before. If you physically labor all day and then do not deny your desire in the middle of
the night, though you may flaunt capacity for a short while, it is extremely harmful to your body, and so it is
important to avoid it.
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6. If you keep taking medicine for years, illness will never cease and you will always have nightmares.
Medicines often have side effects. By constantly taking medicine, or thoughtlessly accepting every prescription,
although one ailment may be cured, another will be maintained. After an extended period of such dosages,
your stomach lining can become injured, resulting in demons [manifesting as indigestion, ulcers, etc]. If you
believe in demons, they will manifest. If you do not believe in them, they will not. It is always the case that if
you concentrate your mind, you will be doubtful of demons. Ignorant people partake of superstition. When they
start by perceiving evil forces, demons follow them. Their minds are not at ease, and the more they believe, the
more they are lost, and they will never have peaceful days. Confucius said [Lun Yu, 6.22]: Give reverence to
ghosts and spirits, but from a distance. This is very fitting.
7. Beginning a meal with soup, you will avoid the need for medicine [i.e. medicine for indigestion]. It is also
said: Wolves and tigers eat their meals with no seasoning. It is their concentration in biting and gulping that
makes the flavors so delicious. And: The smaller the amount you eat, the more of it you will taste. The larger
the amount you eat, the less of it you will taste. All of these are methods of preventing illness by way of eating
and drinking carefully.
8. A deer saves its essence, a tortoise saves its energy, and a crane saves its breath. Thus they each achieve
longevity.
Section Five: In Common Sayings Lie Truth
Common sayings concerning health are often worth pondering. Although the words are simple, their meaning
is deep. Study them in detail and put them into practice. They are the secrets of health and longevity. A saying
goes: Parents are living buddhas. Why is it necessary to go far away to offer incense? These words are
directed at unfilial children who fight with their fathers and scold their mothers and then go out into the world
hoping to be blessed in life, something that is fundamentally stupid. Not doing the work of preventing health
problems and then seeking out famous doctors and asking for medicine is the same kind of stupidity. Think
over this advice repeatedly.
One who can know the ways of fitness and the methods of prevention will be restrained in eating and
drinking as well as constant in daily habits. He will not overwork himself, yet he will diligently practice internal
exercises. He will cultivate healthy habits and avoid losing his temper over nothing. His ambitions will be pure,
being of few desires. His mind will be calm, having no fears. He will perform his labors without exhausting
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himself. He will have no envy beyond his station. No charming voice or looks can distract his attention. Fame
and wealth cannot confuse his mind. His thoughts will be correct, for he will abstain from lust. He will be in
accord with his passive and active aspects, in harmony with the four seasons, and he will be rid of all illnesses.
All such people have achieved longevity.
Section Six: There is No Secret to Long Life
There are so many books and magazines about health and longevity, with titles such as Health Secrets,
Longevity Secrets, Fitness Arts, Longevity Methods, and so on. Opinions vary and everyone is right in some
way, and yet there are contradictions among them. For instance, for each person who advocates stillness, there
is a person who advocates movement. For each person who advocates vegetarianism, there is a person who
advocates eating meat. For each person who advocates staying single, there is a person who advocates getting
married. It is thus very difficult to say for sure which version is actually a secret to longevity.
In my own experience of ordinary health maintenance, there are no great secrets, only a few points to pay
extra attention to in regard to ones own body, the simplest being: 1. never overeating, 2. staying in a good
mood, 3. engaging in appropriate exercise, 4. maintaining a consistent lifestyle. Although these four items are
very simple, they are nevertheless not that easy to carry out. If you can put them into practice perseveringly,
they are the simplest keys to health and long life.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: OVER A HUNDRED EFFECTIVE FOLK PRESCRIPTIONS
A saying goes: Treat serious illness with folk remedies. These words have profound meaning. The famous
ancient physician Hua Tuo had miraculously effective methods of emergency treatment and saved countless
people. Though we have not received his teachings in detail, truly a pity, many methods have been passed
down, not a mere few. They were usually by word of mouth, for very little appears in writing, barely more than
a brief description here and there.
In the whole five thousand years of our culture, nothing is unique. Looking through history, there are many
famous doctors, all of whom have their handy miraculous prescriptions. But their most effective ones were kept
more secret and have been passed down by chance. People nowadays consider them to be folk recipes. It is
difficult to see how their reasoning conforms to scientific principles, and so these prescriptions get looked
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down on. However, I have tested them myself and can verify them. After repeated experiment and experience,
they are indeed worth passing down. In this broad collection of simple methods [drawn largely from Qing
Dynasty compendia such as Bao Xiangaos New Compilations of Effective Prescriptions and He Mengyaos
Medical Writings], there are almost a hundred and fifty effective prescriptions for emergency treatment that
are cheap and easy, especially for any repeat treatment.
Any household that has this book can be secure in the knowledge that they can treat themselves without
medicine. Whenever you take it up, its helpful emergency aid will not be meager. Illnesses of the head, internal
illness, external illness, external injury, and relief from poisons are detailed below for you to consult.
Section One: The Head
1. Remedy for lice:

Rubbing in a mixture of mercury and wax is extremely effective.
2. Remedy for favus:

Shave his head bald, wash it in hot water, and get rid of the scabs. Take the outer skin of the thinner variety
of wild bamboo shoots and reduce it to ashes, then mix it with sesame oil, and apply it the skin once a day
until he has recovered from the condition.
3. Remedy for concussion:

If a person gets a concussion or has a dizzy spell, or loses consciousness or falls into a coma, he should be
laid down and covered with a blanket to keep him warm. He should then be given several helpings of dried
longan pulp, which will help bring him out of it sooner. (There is further explanation in Part Two.)
4. Remedy for tympanitis that is producing pus:

Reduce some thick rice paper to ashes, add a little borneol, then pestle the mixture into a powder and blow
it into the ear. This will stop the pus very effectively.
Another method that will also work is to prick the comb of a rooster and drip the fresh blood into the ear.
5. Remedy for paralysis of the eye muscles and kerititis:

These can be cured by slicing some raw pork, pestling some red stone resin into a powder and spreading it
onto the meat, and putting the meat over the eyes.
6. Remedy for painfully swollen eyelids:

Spread ginger juice mixed with ferrous sulfate onto the eyelids, which will cause the pain to stop, but he has
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to be careful not to open his eyes.

A
7. Remedy for night blindness:
Frequent doses of fish oil or vitamin A will be extremely effective. (There is further explanation in Part
Two.)
8. Remedy for a whooshing headache:

For a headache that starts as a feeling of a pressure in the head or involves an internal sound of strong wind,
use 10 grams of roasted goat manure with wine. Other medicines are not effective, but this remedy will work.
For an ordinary headache, slice open piece of raw ginger, put some realgar into the gap, wrap it in rice paper,
soak it, bake it, then place it on the temples. This is extraordinarily effective.
9. Remedy for ringing in the ears:

Eating pork with boiled China root is miraculously effective. Avoid tea for a full ten days. If the flesh of his
face turns pale, pestle a baked dark plum into powder, have him take it with water, and he will recover.
10. Remedy for dizziness:

Take two raw gingko nut shells, pound them down, soak the pieces in boiling water. They are to be eaten on
an empty stomach. After five doses of this, he will be restored to normal.
11. Remedy for pus and blood in the ear that will not dry:
Take pomegranate flowers that have been dried over a fire and pestle them into a powder, add borneal
solution, blow the mix three or four times into the ear, and there will be recovery. This will produce sores
under the ear that will pass in two or three days. If insects enter the ear, add sesame oil to the juice of green
onions and drip the mix into the ear. Human milk will also work.
12. Remedy for dirt in the eye:

Take a twig of ox knee about two inches long, have him chew it until it is almost like a paste, then after he
spits it out, roll it into a pellet, then press it against the corner of his eye, causing tears to flow. After a
moment, the dirt will all come out naturally. If the dirt is in the right eye, the ox knee is to be chewed with the
left side of his mouth, and if the dirt is in the left, chewed on the right. This method is always immediately
effective. If the eyes are reddened, swollen, and painful, mix some white honey with some yellow cinnabar and
apply to the temples. Then wash the pit of a Chinese olive and use it drip human milk into the corner of the
eye. This is extraordinarily effective.
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13. Remedy for dust in the eye:

Drip in juice from raw lotus root and the dust will naturally come out. If some floating silk strands get into
the eye, take a cup of cold water, add a little table salt and 15 grams of alum, and soak the tip of the tongue.
Soon the silk will naturally come out with tears. In case of blurred vision, boil a pint of black soybeans and 200
grams of wolfberry fruit in clean water. Eating a lot of this will be extraordinarily effective.
14. Remedy for excessive tears:

Take the gallbladders from seven carp, mix them with 5 grams of human milk, steam on top of rice, and
apply the resulting liquid as drops to the eyes. The production of tears will naturally withdraw. In the case of
tears caused by wind, use the gallbladder of a fresh fish steamed in water and human milk, applying three
times during the night as droplets in the corner of the eye. Or you can simmer mulberry leaves in simmering
water, then rinse his eyes with the water. After a few treatments of this, he will recover.
15. Remedy for sores on the roof of the mouth:

These are called hanging ulcers. When it feels like there are grapes hanging from the roof of the mouth,
the tongue has difficulty extending and withdrawing, the mouth has difficulty opening and closing, there is
bleeding from within the nose, and there is an alternation between feeling cold and feeling hot. Quickly pestle
some heated salt and alum into a powder, then use a wet chopstick to dip into the powder and apply to the
site. After three or four applications, he will recover.
16. Remedy for incessant bleeding from mouth or nose:

Heat up some old urine and putting the scent up the persons nose will immediately cause the bleeding to
stop as if by magic. Drinking half a bowl of the juice from pounded chives will also work.
17. Remedy for bloody nose:

In ancient China, cotton was dipped in ink and then stuffed in the nostril. This was this most effective way
of stopping the bleeding.
Another method is to use 10 grams of unprocessed alum soaked in warm water. Breathing in the smell of it
will cause the bleeding to stop.
Another method is to take a few pounded garlic cloves and apply them to the sole of the right foot for
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bleeding from the left nostril or to the sole of the left foot for bleeding from the right, wrapping them tightly to
hold them in place, to be held the for the duration of two incense sticks. He should endure the soreness. This
will long prevent a bleeding nose.
Another method is to take some pressed fresh soil, add some juice from pounded chives, a good helping of
ink, and some heated wine. Have him take a dose of this, then lie on his back for an hour. After three doses, the
effects will be extraordinary.
Another method is to blow the ash of burned hair into the nose, mothers hair for men, fathers hair for
women. This will immediately stop the bleeding.
Another effective method is to use take half a cup of white turnip juice, simmer it with some wine, and pour
the juice into the nose.
For when the bleeding is to the point of pouring, it best to use cedar twigs, the kind that can be pulled from
a thatched roof just under the eaves, and burn them to ashes, pour them into soybean stock, add white sugar.
Mix these three ingredients in a bowl until the mix has turned black. Make the person drink the entire
contents of the bowl and the bleeding will be halted.
18. Remedy for runny nose:

Take 2.5 grams of alum and 20 grams of white sugar, mix them evenly, sniff into the nose, and the problem
will be halted.
Another good method is to pestle 5 grams of camphor with 5 grams of sugar into a powder and sniff that.
19. Remedy for a swollen tongue filling the throat:

Powder 10 grams of saltpeter and 10 grams of alum, then rub the powder on the tongue.
If he is spitting out foul phlegm, it is effective to rinse some fresh tangerine leaves, pound them to extract the
juice, and have him drink it.
20. Remedy for a white coating on the tongue:

Spread 10 grams of borax and 100 grams of honey on the affected area and he will recover.
21. Remedy for toothache due to cavities:

This will be alleviated by pounding a banana to mush, heating it, and letting it sit in the mouth.
22. Remedy for swollen tonsils:

Use a solution of 1 or 2 percent table salt and let it sit in the mouth. Boric acid will also work.
23. Remedy for nose running with pus-like mucus:

Fry four or five pounds of raw peanuts in a pot, and have him stir them with his own hands while they cook.
[By breathing the air from this,] he will recover. If his tears have a pus-like quality, he will feel disgusting
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throughout his life. Powder some Siberian cocklebur and mix it into some clean water. It is to be taken in
doses of 5 to 10 grams at a time. This will be extraordinarily effective.
24. Remedy for a stuffy nose that will not unclog:

Powder some rice-paper plant stem, wild ginger root, and monks hood, mix with honey in a cotton wrap,
then stuff it up the nose. After a few days, the problem will clear.
25. Remedy for anything stuck in the nose that is causing pain and will not be dislodged:
For anything up to the size of a jujube kernel, put butter into the nose. Once it has melted, the moistness
will free the object.
26. Remedy for reddened nose:

He should brush his teeth every morning with a pinch of table salt, then gargle it, spit it into his hands and
wash his face with it. The problem will clear up in just over a month.
Another method is to apply chewed gingko with sweet liquor dregs at night, then wash it off in the morning.
This is very effective.
Another effective method is to take the ash of burned buckwheat noodles, pestle it into a powder, mix it into
some sesame oil, and apply it to the site.
27. Remedy for the tongue swelling to the point that it sticks out of the mouth:
Use a small cup of blood from a roosters comb. This will cause the tongue to withdraw.
Another effective method is to use 15 to 20 grams of genuine river lotus, simmered in water until a scum
appears on the surface, which is then used to soak the tongue.
Another method is to draw up a bucket of well-water and tip it over his head by surprise, which will cause
his tongue to naturally withdraw. This method works best during the summer. After his tongue withdraws, you
should then give him a dose of river lotus simmered in water.
28. Remedy for sudden shrinking of the tongue:

Pierce the tip of the tongue with a silver needle to let out the bad blood, then seal over the spot with candle
wax. This will cause the tongue to return to normal.
29. Remedy for tongue ulcers:

Pestle 15 to 20 grams of wuzhuyu berries into a powder, mix into a good helping of vinegar, apply to the
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soles of both feet, and wrap with cloth. After a while, switch to a fresh dose, and then there will be recovery.
Although this ancient recipe is effective, it is difficult to see its reasoning.
30. Remedy for sores at the corner of the mouth:

Pestle the mud and excrement from a swallows nest into a powder, mix with some sesame oil, and apply it
to the site. This will be effective. For cuts at the corner of the mouth, apply chewed soybeans to the site.
31. Remedy for bleeding gums:

Applying the ash of burned horse dung will do the trick.
Another method is to use eggplant pickled in soy sauce, which will be immediately effective. Gargling
chuanxiong that has been simmering in water will also work.
Another effective method is to chew on a piece of turnip until it is warm. After taking it out and chewing on
another piece, there will be recovery.
32. Remedy for toothache:

This can be cured by eating walnuts. Another effective method that helps the health of the teeth is to eat lots
of big-mouth fish and soybean flour. If the toothache is almost unbearable, applying some aspirin at the sore
spot can temporarily relieve the pain. For ache from false teeth, cover some lychee nuts or dried longan pulp
with table salt, burn it all, pestle it into a powder, then rub it on the gums. This is extraordinarily effective.
33. Remedy for pain and bad odor in the throat:

Constantly drink a soup of simmered China root instead of tea for several days and this will fix it.
Another good method is eating lots of cherries. If you have no fresh cherries, cherry preserves are fine.
34. Remedy for throat illness:

Take two cloves of garlic, slit them open and stuff them up the nose, up the left nostril for problems that are
more on the right side of the throat, up the right nostril for problems that are more on the left side of the
throat. This will deal with blood coming up from the throat.
35. Remedy for sudden loss of voice:

Pestle some monks hood into a powder, the blow it into the throat. This will cure it. Or use a dose of
fermented soybeans boiled in soup with a good helping of wine, or half a cup of human milk with a helping of
wine. For loss of voice caused by hoarseness, roast a rooster heart on a stove until it turns yellow, then pestle it
into a powder and mix it with rice wine. Once sweat is produced from taking this, there will be recovery. If the
problem persists for a long time, it may take three rooster hearts to recover.
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36. Remedy for hoarseness:

Simmer stems of rice-paper plant in water, then have him eat them. Or simmer some orange peel in water,
then once the juice has cooled, drink it, which will be very effective.
37. Remedy for hoarseness caused by sore throat:

Take 5 grams of dried longan fruit, 25 grams of powdered almonds, honey, and some cherry juice wrap it all
in cotton cloth, then hold it in the mouth and drink the saliva that is generated. This will cure it.
38. Remedy for a catch in the throat:

This will be fixed by putting table salt on your hands and rubbing his throat a few dozen times. If hot wind
has caused swelling of the cheeks, pestle the ash of some burned loofah into a powder, mix it with some water,
apply this to the face, and there will be recovery. If a chicken bone gets lodged in the throat, drinking the juice
from pounded ramie will be immediately effective.
Section Two: Internal Illnesses
39. Remedy for abdominal pain from weakened passive aspect:

If a man or woman has cold abdominal pain after sex, quickly apply some heated salt, onion, or ginger, or
water from a boiling pot. This is a marvelous way to stop the pain. Or drink a soup of pepper and brown sugar,
or a ginger soup will work just as well. Or put a large slice of salted ginger on the navel. This is very effective.
Or trim the womans pubic hair, burn it up, and drink the ash in rice wine. This will also do the trick.
40. Remedy for abdominal pain from worms:

If a hard area manifests in his belly, massage it for a long time with your hands. If you become fatigued,
have someone else massage for you. After a day of this rubbing, the worms will have died and will come out
with his defecation, and he will recover.
41. Remedy for abdominal tension:

By drinking a few helpings of white sugar boiled in wine, he will recover. If the belly distends overly during
breathing, drinking some heated aged barley malt a few times will make him recover.
42. Remedy for numbness in the belly:

This is caused by being in fierce wind. Have him eat lots of boiled onions. Even better is eating heated and
pressed onion and ginger.
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43. Remedy for swelling under the armpits:

Applying heated salt wrapped in a cloth will deal with it. If his body responds to a change of environment by
producing swelling, eating lots of boiled large red beans, small red beans, and red-skinned garlic will dispel the
swelling. I have learned through experience that this is extraordinarily effective.
44. Remedy for lower backache due to weak kidneys:

Take a pork kidney, pounded until the white fibers are exposed, and a 10 gram piece of genuine tuchahoe,
sliced opened, steamed without being soaked in water so its natural juice will emerge. After eating three
helpings of this, he will recover.
Another method is to use a sheeps kidney, sliced to expose the white fibers and soaked it in salted fish
stock, and 15 grams of eucommia ulmoides, steamed in wine. Eating three helpings of this will deal with the
problem.
Another method is to boil some white lentils in wine. Eating a helping of this will be effective.
Another method is to put the ashes of burned loofah root, 10 grams, into some wine and have him swallow
it down. The pain will immediately cease.
45. Remedy for dysentery:

Take a dose of pounded lotus stalk in wine, or a dose of squash stem simmered in water with sugar. This
will be immediately effective.
Another method is to use 50 grams of wood-ear fungus, adding brown in the case of darker diarrhea and
white sugar in the case of lighter diarrhea. This will be effective in both cases.
Another method is to roast dried ginger until it is black, then powder it once it has cooled. It is to be taken
in doses of 5 grams in millet soup. This is miraculous effective.
46. Remedy for protracted unceasing dysentery:

Eating several helpings of salted fish cooked in sesame oil is very effective. I have had a lot of experience
with this method, though I do not see its reasoning.
47. Remedy for painful reaction to cool breezes during a bout of common cold:
Take some tangerine leaves, ginger, onions, heat in wine, then wrap the result in cloth and apply it
repeatedly to comfort the affected area. There will then be recovery.
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48. Remedy for coughing asthma:

Take half a bowl of raw Chinese yam, pound it to a pulp, add half a bowl of sugarcane juice, mix them
evenly, stew the mixture slightly, take several doses while still hot, and there will be recovery. In the case
asthma induced by cold air, pound turnip and ephedra together, wrap in cotton, then stuff into the nose. This
is very effective.
49. Remedy for various kinds of cough:

Cook some tea leaves mixed with brown sugar. Let the result cool and dry. Take in doses of 15 to 20 grams.
This is immediately effective.
50. Remedy for a cough due to cold:

Pound walnuts and lotus skin, add a little crystallized sugar, heat in clean water. You will recover after a few
doses.
51. Remedy for unceasing retching:

This is indeed a wretched condition. Mix sugarcane juice and ginger juice evenly, then heat. A dose of this
will pacify the problem.
52. Remedy for when there is the urge to vomit but nothing is coming out:
Cook a mix of green soybeans, glutinous rice, and salt. Pound it all down, add brown sugar, simmer, and
have him take a dose of the result.
53. Remedy for cold leakage:

Make a cake of ground pepper and rice, paste it over the navel. It is also effective to use a wrap of firewood
ash in cloth or make a cake of pepper and garlic.
54. Remedy for fluid bloat:

Whenever there is excessive fluid or gas, eating lots of wild duck is the best method of dealing with it.
55. Remedy for spitting blood:

Drinking some lotus root soup each day without fail for a month in moderate cases, for three months in
serious cases, will permanently cure the problem. In the absence of fresh lotus root, lotus powder will also
work. But the powder should be genuine. Fake lotus powder will be not only useless, but may also cause harm.
56. Remedy for coughing up blood:

Take a large turnip, slice the top off, scoop out most of the meat, fill it with glutinous millet and sugar, put
the top back on, bake it, then have him eat it. This will be effective.
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57. Remedy for protracted coughing:

Mix dried haizhe skin with crystallized sugar, steam, and eat. A deficiency of ones passive aspect produces
protracted coughing. By eating a dose of this, he will recover.
Another method is to take a piglet lung, dry it out, pour a teacupful of sesame oil into the bronchi, tie it
closed with string, stew it in a clap pot with water overnight. In the early morning, have him eat the lung,
without adding salt, first pouring out the oil. Then have him eat a few mouthfuls of the soup, the rest of which
can be used in rice gruel. After eating both lungs, he will recover.
58. Remedy for continuous coughing:

Take half a cup of raw ginger juice, two spoonfuls of honey, mix them together in a teacup, then add boiling
water. Have him take three or four doses heated and he will recover.
Another method is to mix white sugar, sesame oil, and clean water. It is to be taken in doses of three
teacups per day. After a few days, he will recover.
59. Remedy for being unable to lie down due to coughing:

Take walnut flesh, 50 grams of raw ginger, pound them down, add some lard and honey, and form pellets of
20 grams each. Every time he lies down, have him chew a pellet and swallow it with some ginger soup. This is
effective.
60. Remedy for asthma constricting the chest:

Take a cup of pear juice, half a cup of raw ginger juice, half a cup of white honey, 15 grams of powdered
peppermint, and heat the mix by steaming it. Have him take several doses of it heated and he will recover.
61. Remedy for epileptic fit:

Put lettuce leaves in his mouth, or green grass, and he will immediately revive. In the case of a stroke, pour
egg whites mixed with sesame oil into him and he will soon recover.
62. Remedy for inability to stop laughing:

Burn some table salt, simmer it in a helping of river water, and drink it. After a moment, put your fingers
down his throat, pressing down the root of his tongue to cause vomiting. After he releases this heat-phlegm a
few times, he will recover.
63. Remedy for spitting blood:

When spitting blood into water, if it floats, it is lung blood. Thoroughly boil sheep lung, then dip hyacinth
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tuber into the result and have him eat it. If it sinks, it is liver blood. Thoroughly boil sheep liver, then dip
hyacinth tuber into the result and have him eat it. If it half sinks and half floats, it is spleen and heart blood.
Thoroughly boil sheep spleen and sheep heart, then dip hyacinth tuber into the result and have him eat it. This
is extremely effective.
64. Remedy for coughing and spitting blood due to overwork:

Use clear childs urine, have him drinking it each day without skipping any. His own will also work. He is
not to eat garlic or onion, any stinky or dirty foods, and he should avoid having sex. He will thus urinate clear
urine. Take a few drops from his urinations to drink two or three times a day, to be followed up with eating
two or three southern jujubes, which will keep him from feeling nauseated. He will see results after a month of
this.
65. Remedy for hiccups:

Put the smell of burning paper into the nose to induce sneezing. This will work like magic. It is also effective
to pound juice from chives, enough to fill a cup, and then have him drink it down.
66. Remedy for burning hiccups:

Simmer persimmon calyx in water, then have him drink the water, and there will be recovery. If there is
obstructed breathing or obstructed appetite, take the juice of chives, pear juice, ginger juice, and human milk,
mix them together in a bowl, steam the mixture, and then have him drink the result. This is extraordinarily
effective.
67. Remedy for hiccups cause by cold damp:

Have him take two or three breaths of the smoke from roasted yellow fish and they will cease.
68. Remedy for night sweats:

Break open five eggs without damaging the egg whites, then steep the whites into a helping of childs urine
and let sit overnight. Pour on some cold water, heat it all, press the result, then have him eat it. There will be
recovery after several days.
69. Remedy for excessive sweating:

To be constantly sweating is to be excessively sweating. Burn up an old cattail-leaf fan and use the ashes as
a powder puff, or mix with wine and drink.
70. Method of halting sweating:

Wash some strong pork tripe, fill it with glutinous rice, sew it shut, cook it in a clay pot until the boiling
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water makes a mush of it. Then have him eat the tripe in a soup. Dry the rice in the sun until it becomes
powdery. Have him eat it a small bowl at time, on an empty stomach. This is extremely effective.
Another method is to pestle five gallnuts into a powder and put it in the navel, covered over with adhesive
tape. This is extraordinarily effective.
71. Remedy for inability to stop urinating after drinking water:

Beat an egg, mix it with 200 grams of strong wine, boil and have him drink. He is to sleep covered with a
blanket, then avoid being in wind after waking. He will recover after a day. If his dreams cause him to wet the
bed, his internal energy is inadequate. Take twenty-four wisdom-boosting nuts, simmer them with some
added table salt, then have him eat a dose of it every other day. He will recover after four doses. If a child wets
his bed at night, boil some gingko nuts with some white sugar added. After eating three doses of this, he will
recover.
72. Remedy for disease-related heatstroke:

Mix evenly a cup of brown sugar, a cup of raw ginger juice, a cup of boiled water, heat it up, and have him
drink it right away. This will induce sweating and it will naturally be dealt with.
Another method is to wash out a small porcelain jar, pour in some sesame oil, seal it over with rice paper,
and heat it. Put a thin flour cake on the persons back or on the affected area, then once the oil is sufficiently
heated, put the jar on the cake, which will draw out the darker blood, and he will recover. This is called
drawing out with a cup.
73. Remedy for disease-related swelling of the belly and tension in the chest:
Heat some high-quality wine, dip a cloth in the wine and use it to rub downward from the chest. When the
cloth cools, dip it again into the hot wine, and switch to rubbing upward. Energy will then naturally pass
through.
74. Remedy for infection in the head that produces facial and neck swelling:
Put ten earthworms in a bowl, pour white sugar over them, cover it, leave it for half a day until it dissolves
into a fluid, dip a duck feather in the fluid and apply to the affected area. This will cure it.
Another effective method is to take the muddy manure from a swallows nest, pound it down, add vinegar,
and apply to the affected area.
75. Remedy for acute gastroenteritis:

Alum powder mixed in water in immediately effective. This is Hua Tuos method.
Another method is to simmer 15 grams of giant hyssop stalk, which will cause vomiting and diarrhea to
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immediately cease. I have tried this repeatedly and it is miraculously effective.
76. Remedy for twitching muscles due to gastroenteritis:

Make him stand up and he will soon recover.
For another method, a man can tug his penis upward, a woman can tug her breasts downward, or the
person can have both arms tugged. Applying papaya to the affected area can also work.
Another method is to wipe the affected area with a dark cloth soaked in boiled vinegar. Applying pounded
garlic bulbs to the soles of the feet will also work.
Another method is for the sick person to stand straight facing a wall while another person slaps repeatedly
at his knee area with warm water in order to get the dark veins to be better revealed on the surface. Pierce a
vein with a needle to make dark blood flow out and then the problem will be dealt with.
77. Remedy for constipation:

Constipation is usually caused by a chill or fever not letting up. Take a piece of ginger root about the size of
a finger, bake it wrapped in paper. After taking it out [of both oven and paper], dip it in sesame oil, and apply
it as a suppository. After half a day, he will defecate. This method is extremely effective.
78. Remedy for fiery excessive heat while urinating or defecating that will not go away:
Pound down three large river snails, add 1.5 grams of lake salt, place the result an inch and a third below
the navel. This will deal with it. If the urethra is swollen shut, frequently drinking dried day lily root that has
been simmered in water will naturally open it up. Or pound down three inches of scallion bulb with 25 grams
of alum mixed in. That will open it quickly with miraculous effectiveness.
79. Remedy for bleeding during defecating:

The most effective method is eating lots of carp boiled in wine.
Another method is to powder Chinese hawthorn fruits, boil with Chinese mugwort leaves, and drink the
soup down. He will smoothly recover.
Another method is to pound the juice from water chestnuts, enough to fill two or three cups, then add a
good helping of wine. There will be recovery after a few days.
Another method is to cook tofu with the hairs of an older person, then flatten it all out and let it cool. Have
him take 15 grams of it on an empty stomach each day. For purple blood, add white sugar. For red blood, add
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brown sugar.
Another method is to slightly cook some black soybeans, then pound them down, soak with them wine, and
have him drink the result. This will give immediate recovery.
Another method is to roast some loofah vine until dried out, then pestle it into a powder, and have him
drink it in some weak wine. This is miraculously effective.
Section Three: External Illnesses
80. Remedy for hemorrhoids:

Take a number of scorpions, roast them, and make use of the smoke as an incense. For internal
hemorrhoids, put 50 grams of Glaubers salt into an old chamber pot, pour in boiling water, and have him sit
with his anus over the mouth of the pot to receive the steam. There will be recovery after a few repetitions of
this. It is extraordinarily effective. For external hemorrhoids, dry a large soft-shelled turtle head, pestle it into a
powder, add a little borneol, some sesame oil, mix evenly, and apply to the site. This is effective.
Another method is to poach an egg and add some powdered ivory to it (though not from false teeth, which
would render it ineffective). Have him take two doses of this each day on an empty stomach. After a few days,
there will be recovery.
Another method is to pestle 10 grams of fennel seeds into a powder and have him take a dose with warm
water. For mild cases, there will be recovery after a few days.
81. Remedy for unbearable hemorrhoids:

Dry a frogs head in shade, then burn it and make use of the fumes. This is extraordinarily effective.
82. Remedy for injury from falling:

After a serious fall, the person may be unconscious, but as long as his body is still pliable, he can be revived.
By all means avoid crowds and noise, where your cries for help will be drowned, and quickly call out for the
assistance of his family. Sit on the ground, run your fingers through his hair, holding him place with his arms
and legs bent in like a Buddhist monk meditating. Quickly pour some hot childs urine into him, though horse
urine is even better, or some heated wine with white sugar. In serious cases, blood clotting is common, and so
pressure should be applied at his anus area. Blow powdered pinellia ternata into the nose, then give him a soup
to drink of Chinese angelica and white sugar. This is effective.
Another method is to tear open the skin of live chicken, dig out its intestines, do not wash them with water,
and press them onto the affected area. Even if a person is critically ill, as long as his chest is still warm, giving
him a large helping of white sugar can also revive him.
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83. Method of stopping bleeding from an external injury:

Apply thick pieces of lean pork to the site, whatever the size of the wound, and the bleeding can be
immediately stopped. Pigskin will also work. Powdered dried ginger will also work beautifully.
84. Remedy for injury from falling:

Apply a few ounces of dried chrysanthemum root to the site. Simmer some wine and childs urine in a bowl,
then have him drink it. As long as there is the slightest breath, he is sure to survive.
For another method, in the case of broken bones, take a few ounces of bamboo and soybean cooking starch,
cook until yellow, add cold water, stir until very sticky. Smear it onto a long cloth and wrap the affected area,
setting the bone as it originally was, and wrapping it tight so it will not move. It will heal after two weeks. For
setting a fracture, mix the ashes of burned crab shell into some wine. After a dose of this, the bones will
naturally be joined. Or drink vinegar that has been used to rub red bronze, which can also get tissues and
bones to unite. There is much proof of this.
85. Remedy for trauma to the tissues:

Pound some chives down to a mush and apply it the affected area. Let it sit overnight for two nights, then
there will be recovery. It is also good to mix in some white sugar and make a wrap of it.
Another method is to pound the juice from some raw convolvulus root and drip into the injury site. Wash
the site and add new drips to it three times a day. After half a month, even severed tissues will mend. This is
miraculously effective.
Another method for dealing with trauma injuries roast some green onions, pound in some white sugar, and
apply to the affected area. This is extraordinarily effective at immediately stopping pain.
86. Remedy for injury to the eyes:

Use pumpkin pulp wrapped in cloth to hold it in place. This will gradually diminish swelling and pain. After
it dries, switch it with fresh pulp, and if the pupil is not damaged and he can still see, then the riper the
pumpkin, the better. Fresh foxglove can also be used instead of pumpkin.
Another method that works is to use a slice of raw pork, with a mix of Chinese angelica and red stone resin
smeared onto the meat, and apply it to the site. When removed, the blood will have clotted.
87. Remedy for injury to hands or feet from falling:

Pound some raw ginger and scallion bulbs, mix with wheat flour and apply to the affected area. Massaging
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in raw rhubarb mixed with raw ginger juice will also work.
88. Remedy for pus growing in muscle after suffering a broken bone:
Pound river snails, add wine dregs, mix evenly, apply all around the affected area. If there remains a hole,
broken bone may protrude.
89. Remedy for pain from a long-term injury:

Make a motherwort paste (without pounding it down) and form it into pellets. Have him take it in doses of
dozens of grams with some heated wine. He will recover after ten days. The effects are miraculous.
90. Remedy for swelling all over the body:

Wrap a live frog and seven croton tiglium seeds in paper, hang it with string in a shaded breezy place. Once
it is all dried out, remove the contents from the paper, separate the head and legs into five batches, the liver
and intestines also into five batches, place them all into a porcelain bottle, which must not be allowed to leak.
When taking out each piece, bake it, pestle it into a powder, and have him take the dose with wine. Consuming
the head will dispel head swelling. Consuming the legs will dispel foot swelling. Mild cases will take two or
three days. More serious cases will take four or five days. For very serious cases, cook some bamboo and
soybean cooking starch until it has yellowed, mix it into some vinegar, and apply it to the affected area. This is
extraordinarily effective. It is also effective when applied for toothache.
91. Remedy for malignant boils:

The way to distinguish the type of boils is to chew some raw soybeans. If there is no awareness of the flavor,
then the boils are malignant. Boils often produce discoloration. If not treated early, they will easily cause
problems. If they produce a flower pattern on the back, the condition is also called out of reach. Even small
ulcers are difficult to treat. If they are already festering, sprinkle the ashes of burned hedgehog skin on the
affected area. There will be full recovery after five or six days.
Method of using a spider to draw out the toxins:
First pierce the boil with a porcelain suture, then find a spider and put it on the boil. Once the spider sees
it, it will rush to drain off the toxins [unless of course it is a poisonous spider, in which case the person would
be receiving toxins]. After a moment, the spider will become still. Then refresh the area by soaking it in cold
water. If some pus still remains, you can use the spider again or use another one until the toxins have been
completely dealt with. This is extraordinarily effective. Spiders are more difficult to find nowadays. This
method is included simply as an example of ancient thinking for the purpose of reference. Because more
attention is paid in modern times to hygiene, this illness has become rarer.
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For malignant boils on the fingers, pound down some walnuts and apply to the affected area. This will
immediately relieve pain and bring recovery after three days.
92. Further remedy for malignant boils:

The juice of chrysanthemum is to be drunk down, then pound feverfew petals and roots, collect the juice
into a tea jug. It may be used with boiled wine, but it is not as wonderful as using the raw juice. Applying the
sediment to the affected area, the boil will not stand up to it. Cover it over with cotton cloth to cause
perspiration and the toxins will naturally be dispelled. If there has to be a choice between petals or roots, take
the roots. In the absence of the roots, you may get 200 grams of dried feverfew from the pharmacy, 20 grams
of licorice root, boil them in wine, and apply this. If the tissue of the boil is raw, take the liver of a lazy frog and
apply it while it is still warm to the affected area. Do this three or four times and he will recover.
Another method is to take 15 grams of powdered alum and seven scallion bulbs, pestle them together, then
separate them into seven pieces, each piece to be drank down with heated wine. After drinking, he should
sleep. Cover him so he perspires. If he is not perspiring, give him a cup of onion soup. After he perspires, he
should continue resting. In the case of impetigo, mix some aged powdered lime with sesame oil and apply to
the site. This is extraordinarily effective.
93. Remedy for sores from bayberry poisoning:

Use 200 grams of China root, 50 grams of honeysuckle, 50 grams of forsythia, pestled into a powder and
formed into pellets to be taken over the course of half a month. After the doses are finished, the poison will be
dispelled.
Another effective method is to have him eat a shantongqi, i.e. an ordinary gecko. Because geckos can eat
scorpions, and spiders can eat geckos, it is a matter of fighting venom with venom. If bitten by a poisonous
snake, drinking tobacco water will taste sweet, or if a person with malignant boils eats raw soybeans, they will
not seem bitter. The principle is the same.
Another method, called three immortals elixir, is to make doses from mixing mung beans, black sesame,
and smoked jujube. This is an excellent means of treating syphilis.
94. Remedy for ringworm:

Rub vinegar into a lychee nut and apply to the affected area. This may be painful, but it will not cause
further problems, and he will recover after several days. Repeat if there is a relapse.
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95. Remedy for when an open sore will not close:

Put 500 grams of limestone in a basin, pour in 2500 grams of water, wait for the lime to start dissolving,
then stir with a stick. Once the water is clear, pour it gently into a bowl, but not the limestone. Soak a plain
cloth in the water and store it in a bottle until it is needed. Then cut a new piece of cloth with scissors, soak it
in the water for a moment, and place it on the affected area. Change it after an hour or two for a fresh one. Do
this three or four times a day for a few days and there will be recovery.
Another effective method is to use longan fruit chewed down to a paste. For a man, it is to be chewed by a
woman. For a woman, it is to be chewed by a man. Apply it to the affected area.
Another method is to put a number of white-necked earthworms into a porcelain bottle, add some sugar,
and wait a day for it change into a fluid, then take some of the fluid and put it into the sore. After a few days,
there will be recovery.
96. Remedy for rectal prolapse:

Take the body of a bearded snail with a spiral shell, roast it on a stove, pestle it into a powder of about 50
grams, mix it into some lard, and apply it to the site. This is immediately effective.
Another method is to roast a soft-shelled turtle, pestle it into a powder, mix into some sesame oil, and apply
it to the site, or apply the powder to the site taping it on with some paper. This is miraculously effective.
Another method is to pestle some cicada legs into a powder, mix into some sesame oil, and rub into the site.
This is extraordinarily effective.
Another method is to have him eat lots of hot peppers, will cause the rectum to shrink in. Eating just a few
will not be effective. This is true for both adults and children. People usually think of hot peppers as having a
heating quality, little realizing that such foods can dispel heat from the large intestines. Thus it is miraculously
effective.
97. Remedy for inability to urinate:

Simmer scallions until a scum appears on the surface of the water, then put it just below the navel.
Another method is to put the ash of some burned mole crickets in wine. A dose of this will deal with the
problem. Or simmer a bundle of wheat stems in water. A dose of this will be immediately effective.
Another method is to wash the top of an old straw hat, simmer it in soup, then have him drink the soup.
This will bring immediate recovery. It is also effective for him to drink a soup of simmering onions.
Another method is to pound a stick of celery to mush, wrap it in a white cloth, squeeze out the juice, steam
it, and have him eat it. This will promote urinating. (But do not use ironware when steaming it.)
Another method is to take a river snail, add half a spoonful of salt, pound it down, and apply it just below
the navel. This will promote urination.
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98. Remedy for blood coming out with urine:

Pound the juice from some turnip leaves, add a helping of ink, and drink. This will bring recovery. Or dry
three persimmons by roasting, pestle them into a powder, and have him take it with millet gruel. Or pound
some lettuce down to a mush and place over the navel. Or simmer a scoop of bland fermented soybeans in a
soup and have him eat it. This is immediately effective.
Another method is to take the ash from burned egg shells and snail shells, add fringed pink that has been
fried and pounded. It is to be taken on an empty stomach with rice wine. This is extraordinarily effective.
Another method is to use 500 grams of black soybeans, fried and pestled down to a powder, to be taken
with heated strained wine on an empty stomach. This is miraculously effective.
99. Remedy for pain in the foot that feels like a knife cutting:
Dip raw ginger slices in sesame oil and rub on the tender area. Then pound the ginger with some heated
wheat cake, apply to the affected area, and the pain will immediately cease. If there is swelling on the sole of
the foot, pound down some garlic bulbs with some table salt added, and apply. There will be recovery the
following day.
100. Remedy for foot scabies:

Float a dry ham bone in rice water until the water has steeped away its salty flavor, then pestle it into a
powder, and apply it to the affected area. This is effective.
101. Remedy for bunions:

Pound the fleshy part of some smoked plums, add a little vinegar, some salted water, mix evenly, and apply
the result to affected area. They will immediately be diminished.
Another method is to chew on raw turnip until it is like mud, then apply it to the affected area. This will
relieve any pain. If a foot is being rubbed raw by its shoe, cut open the pits of dark red dates and apply them.
This is extraordinarily effective.
102. Remedy for blisters on the feet from walking:

Put fresh wheat flour into some water and mix evenly. Apply to the affected area, let sit overnight, and there
will be recovery.
103. Remedy for stinky foot sweat:

Simmer a turnip in water, apply it to the feet several times and this will deal with it. In the case of athletes
foot, using winter melon rind rinsed in boiled water is effective.
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104. Remedy for pubic lice:

Apply some chewed gingko nuts. This is miraculously effective. It is also effective to use chewed peach pits.
Another effective method is to rub in mercury.
105. Remedy for unbearably itchy legs (also called hair scabies):
Make a hot compress of leftover tofu wrapped in cloth. When it cools, switch it for a fresh one. After being
wrapped like this overnight, he will recover.
106. Remedy for finger scabies:

Pound down garden balsam mixed with sweet liquor dregs, apply it to the affected area, and this will deal
with it.
107. Remedy for a ruptured nipple:

Fry some chicken excrement until it turns white, then pound it down. It is to be taken in doses of 5 grams
each, swallowed down with some wine. This is miraculously effective.
108. Remedy for breast abscess:

Steam some shrimp in vinegar, then apply it to the affected area. This is effective.
109. Remedy for when the milk ducts are painfully clogged:
Smash several walnuts, soak the pieces in wine. After taking a dose of this, she will recover. Or fry some
black sesame and powder it, then have her take a dose in some heated wine each day. This will also work.
110. Remedy for when breast milk is obstructed:

Take 500 grams of fresh shrimp meat (not using the shell, hairs, or feet) and pound it all down within a
porcelain vessel. Give her a helping of it mixed into some heated aged wine. Once she has drunk her fill, she
will soonafter have milk. Thereafter, frequently consume pig feet soup for milk to be abundant. Shrimp only
needs to be once.
Another method is to use 15 grams of akebi stem simmered with two pig feet. Once this soup is eaten, milk
will easily flow.
Section Four: On Eating Inedible Foods and Dealing with Poisons
111. Remedy for eating beef that has spoiled:

Simmer a handful of rice straw in water. Have him sip off the straw scum that manifests on the surface and
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then the effects will naturally be eliminated.
112. Remedy for eating duck that has spoiled:

Rinse some glutinous rice and boil it thoroughly. Have him drink a small cup of this and then the effects will
naturally be eliminated.
113. Remedy for eating eggs that have spoiled:

Have him drink a good helping of vinegar and then the effects will be eliminated.
114. Remedy for eating fruits that have spoiled:

Have him drink a soup of salted water and then the effects will be eliminated.
115: Remedy for eating watermelons that have spoiled:

A soup made of the rind will dissipate it. This goes for all other melons as well.
116. Remedy for eating wheat foods that will not go down:
A dose of raw ginger juice in heated wine will naturally change the situation.
Another method is to have him take a dose of heated raw turnip juice, which is miraculously effective. If he
eats wheat that has spoiled, drinking lots of vinegar will stop it from making him feel bloated.
117. Remedy for difficulty swallowing:

Mix some glutinous rice with some ox saliva, mixing evenly and then forming the result into small pellets.
Cook them thoroughly. Eating them will have a miraculous effect.
Another effective method is simply to drink a dose of ox saliva mixed with water. To get the ox to salivate,
first rinse his mouth off, then wipe salt on it. He will naturally soon start salivating. After doing this, avoid
eating beef for a while.
118. Remedy for when you get hiccups from eating food that has not gone down:
Have him drink two or three bowls of vinegar-soaked garlic juice and he will recover. Eating lots of garlic
will also expel germs.
119. Remedy for nausea or vomiting:

Take a large piece of raw ginger, cut it into thin slices rather than breaking it, cover the slices in salt, then
pile them up, packed tightly, and wrap them round in round with rice paper until seven layers thick. Soak this
in water, cook it until it is a burned lump, take it out, pound it down, fry it with rice, and have him eat it. This
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is immediately effective.
120. Remedy for accidentally swallowing foreign objects:

Take some burned carbon that has been left on kitchen ironware, pestle it into a powder and mix it into
some gruel, then have him eat two or three bowls of it.
121. Remedy for accidentally swallowing a small iron needle:

Have him eat lima beans with boiled chives. The needle with come out within the chives when he defecates.
Another method is to take raw frogs eyes and have him swallow them with some cold water. Both ends of
the needle will end up in the two eyes and can then either be spat or will come when he defecates. This is
miraculously effective, though one should never eat frog meat.
122. Remedy for accidentally swallowing objects made of gold, silver, copper, iron, or aluminum:
Roast a sheeps leg bone, reduce it to powder, and mix the powder into some rice gruel. Have him take it in
doses of 10 or 15 grams. The object will come out the next day. If the object was gold, it is also effective to chew
up and swallow chives soaked in sesame oil.
Another method is to take a handful of chives, soften them in boiling water instead of cutting them, then
have him eat them plain. He will soon spit out the object or it will come out within his defecation.
Another effective method is to eat 250 grams of sugared rice.
Another very effective method is to roast some salted Chinese olives, then pestle them into a powder, then
have him swallow the result with some clean water, and the object will come out.
123: Remedy for accidentally swallowing a copper coin:

Have him eat lots of water chestnuts, then naturally it will pass through. The effectiveness of this
unparalleled.
Another method is eating 10 grams of cardamom in some hot soup, which can also pass it through.
124. Remedy for dealing with white arsenic poisoning:

Kill a white duck and quickly have him drink its blood. Gradually he will feel embraced by a chill [while the
poison is being neutralized].
Another method that works is to have him take 5 grams of powdered siler divaricatum with some cold
water, or 20 grams of the pounded juice.
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125. Remedy for dealing with an excess of anti-depressant medication:

Have him drink cold water to dilute it. If not enough, drink juice from an indigo plant. If the medicine
suddenly causes lockjaw, the juice can be poured through the nose. Also effective is to take refined cane sugar
in cold water.
126. Remedy for an overdose of general medicinal tonics:

If one takes too much medicine, his head will swell, his abdomen will become congested, and he will feel
bloated. Pour in a bowl of black soybeans and a bowl of mung beans, simmer until they produce a scum on the
surface, skim it off, then have him eat it cold. This will do the trick. If his breath has become stifled and there
is warmth only in his chest, he is to avoid eating hot foods. Simmer 10 grams of siler divaricatum in water,
then have him drink it cold. This will revive him. It is also effective to eat lots of rice or brown sugar. 50 grams
of licorice root, black soybeans, and mung beans produces a scum that is to be eaten cold, and this can
immediately dispel an overdose of medicine with extraordinary effectiveness.
127. Remedy for a toxic amount of croton tiglium consumption:

Boil a pint of black soybeans and have him drink the resultant juice mixed with cold water. It is also
effective to use coptis root that has soaked in water.
128. Remedy for a toxic amount of sulfur:

Taking a dose of 10 grams of fangyi that has soaked in water will dispel it.
Another method that will work is drinking a bowl of white sheeps blood to produce heat.
129. Remedy for poisoning from puffer fish and leeches:

If someone eats the poison from a puffer fish, force him to eat lots of Chinese olives, including the pits
ground down and mixed with water. This is very effective. Another useful method is drinking three cups of
sesame oil.
Leeches enter the belly from drinking water out in the countryside. They consume the livers blood,
rendering the persons appearance jaundiced and emaciated. There is abdominal pain that is hardly bearable.
Eating dried longan pulp or lychee nuts can help, as can balled-up tobacco tar (i.e. the oily residue that
accumulates in the bowl of long-stemmed pipe, which is to be swallowed down as it will kill the leeches and
send them out with his defecation). It is also effective for him to constantly eat white honey. When leeches are
burned in fire, they turn to dust. If he drinks more of that water, he will only get more leeches, but if he uses
honey instead of water, he will be safe.
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130. Remedy for countless poisons:

Dig three feet deep into dry ground, pour in a bucketful of water, and stir with a stick. This water is slightly
clear and is called earth syrup. For food poisoning, have him take several bowlfuls. This is always magically
effective. Or have him drink down water that has boiled mung beans and licorice, which is immediately
effective.
131. Remedy for poison entering the bloodstream:

Give him powdered dried hedgehog skin in a dose of 15 grams mixed with wine and it will immediately be
halted.
132. Remedy to alleviate an incapacitating hangover:

Loosen the drinkers clothing, soak his hair in fresh well-water, and smear tofu all over his body. He will
quickly recover. However, this method should not be used during cold weather.
Another good method is to use raw clam soaked in water.
Another effective method is to pour white turnip juice or heated urine into him.
133: Remedy for sunstroke:

Some alum powder mixed in water will revive him. Or roll some paper to make a tube, then light some
incense at your end and blow the smoke toward his nose to revive him. This will work like magic.
Section Five: Stranguria
The five kinds of stranguria are most often caused by men and women having sex while unclean. There are
work stranguria, air stranguria, heat stranguria, blood stranguria, and stone stranguria. Work
stranguria and air stranguria come with a feeling of weakness, heat stranguria comes with a feeling of burning,
blood stranguria comes with a feeling of weakness and burning, and stone stranguria starts with a feeling of
burning which eventually goes away once the stone passes.
134. Remedy for work stranguria:

Wrap walnuts in mud, roast until blackened, pestle them into a powder, have him take it in doses of 15
grams with water on an empty stomach each morning and evening. He will recover after three to five days.
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Another method is to boil 100 grams of ox knee, and 5 grams of frankincense in wine, and have him take it
in warmed doses. The effect will seem magical. It is also good for blood stranguria. But he must not take it if he
has been having nocturnal emissions.
For another method, if he cannot urinate, put fifteen large river snails in water, wait for their emissions to
float to the surface, then mix 0.5 grams of this pus-like substance into some cosmetic powder, and apply it to
his navel. This will have a magical effect.
135. Remedy for air stranguria:

The lower abdomen is urgently bloated. He wishes to urinate but cannot, and once he does, it is often little
more than drips. The treatment method is the same as for work stranguria.
Another method is to give him a dose of the green coating of some sugarcane and boiled in wine. He will
recover after three days.
136. Remedy for heat stranguria:

Urine is hot and reddish. Urination is brief and rough. There is an urgent pain below the navel. Give him 30
grams of talcum and 5 grams of licorice root with water. He will recover after several days.
Another method is to boil henon bamboo leaves thoroughly and then have him drink it as a tea. This will
cause even earlier recovery.
137. Remedy for blood stranguria:

If his urine contains droplets of blood, have him eat fried fermented soybeans is very effective. The ox-knee
method for work stranguria is also good.
Another helpful method is to is to have him drink a tea of steeped honeysuckle.
For another method, if a mans urine has turned white, make a small hole in a chicken egg, slip in 5 grams
of unprocessed alum powder, and cover it with a strip of red lead paper, tying it on with string. Bake it and
then have him eat the contents. He is to eat one per day, each day with an additional 5 grams of alum powder.
By the seventh day, the amount will be up to 35 grams, and then the illness will naturally be cured.
Another method is to reduce some head hair to ashes and mix it with raw lotus root juice. Have him take it
in doses of 10 grams. He will recover after three days. You can also mix pounded lotus root with wine. And to
add honey to the juice of cooked areca nuts is miraculously effective.
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138. Remedy for urinary stone stranguria:

Also called sand stranguria, there is an urgent swelling in the lower abdomen and pain within the urethra
so extreme it is as though a knife is cutting. Pound down the shell of a river snail and have him drink it with
heated wine to pass the stone.
Another good method is to have him drink water that a copper coin has been simmering in, which
simultaneously treats air stranguria, and have him eat lots of walnuts and boiled congee.
It is also effective to for him to constantly drink water that corn leaves are simmering in, but he is to avoid
eating salt during this time.
Another method is to take raw onion and unprocessed table salt, pound them down, and apply to the navel.
The stone will naturally pass.
139. Remedy for all of the five stranguria:

If in the course of time it has not passed on its own, pound the juice out of asparagus ferns, enough to fill
half a cup, and he will heal after it has been applied.
Another method is to have him eat winter melon that has been boiled with fermented soybeans three or four
times a day for seven days, and he is sure to recover.
CHAPTER TWELVE: BAD COMBINATIONS OF FOODS AND FOOD AS TREATMENT FOR ILLNESS
Foods should be for nutrition. They should not be eaten incautiously and for the sake of pleasing your mouth.
Do not take your bodily health and strong digestion for granted. If you improperly coordinate your foods,
mixing together the wrong things, you will at best have painful indigestion and at worst be risking your life.
You have to be careful. As for these many food combinations to avoid, they are based only on personal
experience. Although not scientifically tested, they ought to be given the benefit of the doubt, especially in the
cases where a life or death situation is mentioned. Why should you take risks with your life? And if you are not
willing to, why would you encourage others to do so? For the sake of reference, many bad combinations of food
are listed below:
Section One: Bad Combinations of Foods
1. Eating crucian carp with honeysuckle will produce an indigestion that may kill you, likewise eating carp
cooked with Japanese catnip.
2. Eating crab cooked with eggplant or pumpkin will cause indigestion. Eating crab with ice will cause
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diarrhea.
3. Eating eel with prunes will cause indigestion.
4. Eating shrimp cooked with green jujubes or pumpkin will cause indigestion, as will eating eel with pumpkin.
5. Eating eel cooked with mulberry tree bark will produce indigestion that cannot be treated.
6. Avoid eating carp cooked with cucumbers.
7. Eating big-bellied fish that cigarette ash has fallen onto will cause indigestion.
8. Eating red beans cooked with plums will cause indigestion.
9. Grapes should be eaten while drinking sweet wine.
10. Eating loquats with wheat foods or red beans will cause indigestion.
11. Eating papaya with fried foods will cause indigestion.
12. Eating chicken meat that candle wax has dripped onto will cause indigestion.
14 [There is no 13]. Eating honey will green onions or garlic will cause a stomachache that will break your
heart.
15. Eating watermelon with eight treasures seasoning or deep-fried foods will give you diarrhea.
16. Eating bamboo shoots with malt-sugar candy will cause indigestion.
17. Eating cassava with sesame oil, or especially with pomegranates, will cause indigestion.
18. Eating potatoes cooked with peppermint will cause indigestion.
19. Do not eat beef that has been cooked with catfish or especially with snails.
20. Rice that has been urinated on by house lizards will cause indigestion, which is why leftovers must be
covered.
21. Eating beef with sheeps liver will make your whole body chilled and trembling, turn your fingernails green,
and may kill you.
22. Eating donkey meat with fish will worsen hemorrhoids.
23. Eating chicken with foods made of beeswax will turn your complexion purple.
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24. Eating soft-shelled turtle with amaranth or celery will cause immediate and dangerous indigestion, which
can be dealt with by flushing yourself through with a soup of licorice root and childs urine.
25. Eating rabbit meat with mustard or mustard greens will make you throw up, become very cold, and pant.
Eating rabbit meat with ginseng will cause indigestion.
26. Eating torreya nuts with crab will lead to peritonitis or gastritis.
27. Eating torreya nuts after drinking alcohol will cause indigestion that may even kill you.
28. Eating muskmelon with snails will cause indigestion.
29. Eating beef cooked with fried dough twists will cause indigestion that may even kill you.
30. Eating bananas with sweet potatoes will cause indigestion.
31. After eating crucian carp with brown sugar, you will feel your guts twisting.
32. Eating mung-bean paste after eating dog meat will cause swelling in your intestines.
Section Two: Foods as Treatment for Illness
Human beings eat things every day. They all know that eating food allays hunger, that food has delicious
flavors, that food has nutrition. But they do not know that foods often have curative effects, cooperating within
the body to help regulate functions and invisibly assisting people in eliminating illness. These foods are
excellent medicine for treating illness, although there are also many foods to be avoided or are harmful.
Selected major examples are listed below for your reference. Pay attention to appropriate eating in order to be
healthy and live longer.
1. Fruits and Vegetables
1. Watermelon:
It is everywhere, and here in Taiwan it grows year round. It has a sweet flavor and a cooling quality. It can
help the flow of fluids and clear away heat, relieve fever and dissipate vexation. It also can broaden the mind
and calm the emotions, quench thirst and is beneficial for urination, alleviate the worst hangovers. It is called
white tiger soup, but eating too much of it can easily cause an illness of feeling chilled. Those with malaria or
weak digestion should not eat it.
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2. Pears:
A highly esteemed fruit, their flavor is sweet and slightly sour. They have a cooling quality. Eating them
quenches thirst, dissolves phlegm, reduces internal fire, dispels heat, and eliminates bacteria, but they most of
all ease the heart and moisten the lungs. They also cleanse you after breathing polluted air. But those who have
been overly exposed to cold, feel a chill in the stomach, or have abdominal pain must not eat them.
3. Lychee nuts:
Their white flesh is juicy. Their flavor is sweet and tasty. Not only are they a wonderful fruit, they also can
dispel cold and diminish dampness, scatter vexation and quench thirst, get rid of boils on the skin, boost
energy and increase wisdom, and brighten ones facial expression. Those who have internal heat should eat
them rarely, for eating them often can increase such irritating heat. If small children overeat them, there will
be abdominal bloating, which can be dealt with by eating honey or by drinking water that lychee shells have
soaked in. If the nuts are burned up, pestled into a powder, and mixed with some wine, it can treat middleaged women who feel their vitality has been sapped.
4. Tangerines:
They can bring warmth, nourishment, and harmony, benefiting the spleen and lungs, regulating the center
and easing the diaphragm, drawing out stagnancy and dissolving phlegm. But eating lots of them for a long
period can diminish vitality. The skin is used in medicines. It can moisten the skin and defeat wrinkles.
5. Papaya:
It benefits muscles and bones, regulates the immune system, calms the lungs and eases the stomach, aids
digestion and quenches thirst. It treats gastroenteritis and muscle cramp, athletes foot and heart pain,
disperses moist heat and dispels edema, and halts vomiting. Eating it too often can damage the teeth. Those
who have many stagnancies should rarely eat it.
6. Dark plums:
They contain crucial acids, their flavor is sour, and they have a balancing quality. They have the effects of
restraining the lungs and reducing swelling. They can calm the emotions and eliminate vexation, and also
disperse toxins from seafood. In Taiwan during the summer, it is used to make a soup to drink cold, which
quenches thirst and drive away summer heat.
7. Walnuts:
They can nourish energy and blood, treat depletion cold, lubricate muscles and darken hair. But as they
have a heating quality, they should not be eaten too often.
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8. Chinese dates:
Their flavor is sweet. They nourish the center and boost energy, nurture the spleen and balance the
stomach, generate saliva and moisten the lungs, firm the willpower and build strength. It can dispel bad energy
in the chest and abdomen. When eating it boiled with black soybeans, it can cause weight gain. Avoid eating it
at the same time as green onions.
9. Longan fruits:
Also called guiyuan, they contain a large amount of glucose. Very nourishing, they benefit the spleen and
revive muscle. They treat blood deficiency, wearied spirit, absentmindedness. They are rich with the power to
strengthen the brain, but those who have energetic blockages should avoid eating them.
10. Torreya nuts:

Their flavor is sweet and they have a cooling quality. They can disperse heat and reduce phlegm, generate
saliva and quench thirst, mend deficiencies of the digestive organs. They must not be eaten with crab or while
drinking wine, which will make them minutely toxic, but this is dealt with by soaking them in bandsia rose
juice. The same is true if having them with wine and persimmons, in which case it is dealt with by eating
pineapple and drinking clean water.
11. Chestnuts:
They enrich the intestines and stomach, as well as nourish kidney energy, and can eliminate strong body
odor. Small children must not eat them often, for they will be difficult to digest when raw and cause stagnant
energy when cooked.
12. Water chestnuts:

They are slightly sweet, crispy, and smooth. They boost energy and stabilize ones center, whet the appetite
and aid digestion, eliminate excessive heat in the chest, treat all variety of hiccups, and can break down copper
items. If a small child accidentally swallows a copper coin, eating lots of water chestnuts will deal with it.
13. Water caltrops:

They are sweet and have a cooling quality. They can quench thirst, alleviate summer heat, and help someone
sober up after drinking. The three-pointed variety is called jishi. The two-pointed variety is called lingjiao.
14. Sugarcane:
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It is sweet, cooling, and harmonizing. It helps the spleen and reduces fever during humid weather, moistens
tissue and quenches thirst, dissolves phlegm and alleviates hangover. It is a diuretic and prevents defecations
from being overly dry. However, if you eat it too often, you will rot your teeth. Even though sugarcane is sweet,
you must not eat it excessively.
15. Peanuts:
Pungent peanuts can moisten the lungs. Fragrant peanuts can comfort the spleen. They are an excellent
addition among fruits and make a good side dish. Although eating them raw may cause weight gain, eating
them often will help smooth the intestines. To eat them boiled or fried is always good, for instance eating them
boiled with sugar or drinking a soup of them. Consuming peanuts often can treat deafness.
16. Chinese olives:

They are also called the green fruit. They grow in the tropics and are prolific in Taiwan. The flavor is
sourness containing sweetness. They can be eaten either raw or boiled. They can clear away heat and detoxify.
They benefit the throat and quench thirst. They aid the digestive organs and stop diarrhea. They calm the
emotions and sober one up after drinking. They ease digestion by reducing vexation, able to clear out the
toxins that come from eating puffer fish or soft-shelled turtle, and helping hard fish bones to get through.
Although one who is suffering from obstructions must not eat them often. (Adding some salt can help clear
obstructions.) They have a heating quality in both tips, but not if the tips are cut off. People often eat it to
eliminate the toxins that come with puffer fish.
17. Areca nuts:

They grow in the tropics and hence are everywhere in Taiwan. They have an astringent and warming
quality, and it is a nonpoisonous plant. They can dispel accumulated obstruction to make urination smoother
and can kill germs, combat stiffness and eliminate swelling. They reduce stagnancy in the organs, can dissolve
phlegm, and help one to sober up after drinking. For that reason, Taiwan natives love to munch them. They
look as though they would be an unhealthy treat, but they are actually very beneficial for the body. If they are
reduced to ashes and applied to sores on the mouth, they are very effective at treating them. One whose
digestive organs are weak or whose energy is low, should avoid eating them, for they would only further
diminish energy.
18. Bananas:
They are sweet and cooling. They ease digestion and clear the lungs. If you eat one or two bananas each day
after a meal, it will be greatly beneficial toward preventing overly dry defecations.
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19. Chinese turnips:

They are also known as daikon. If you eat it raw, it causes energy to ascend. If you eat it cooked, it causes
energy to lower. It calms emotions and boosts digestion, reduces phlegm and stops the spitting of blood. When
cooked in soup and then rinsed off, it can be applied to treat athletes foot. Drinking the juice treats diarrhea.
It dispels the effects of smoking or of breathing too much incense. Pounded turnip can be applied to treat scald
or burn injuries. It would be tedious to list all the benefits. Turnips are called the poor mans ginseng. As it
contains iodine, eating it often is greatly beneficial to the human body.
20. Lotus root:

It can alleviate fever and dispel blood stagnation, quench thirst and reduce irritability. It can also cure a
hangover or the effects of eating seafood that has gone bad. Cooked thoroughly so it is sweet and warming, it
tonifies the stomach and nourishes the heart, cleanses the energy and calms the spirit. It also makes an
excellent side dish.
21. Chives:
They have a pungent and warming quality. When its influence enters the liver, it invigorates the circulation
of blood and energy, refreshes the heart and tonifies the stomach, aids the kidneys and nourishes the active
aspect. They treat muscular injury and bring relief from dog, snake, or insect bite. Eating it often can make the
mind foggy. If you want to alleviate an injury to tissues, apply pounded chives for a whole day and night, and
you will recover. Avoid eating it at the same time as honey.
22. Winter melon:

It is found everywhere and makes a good side dish. It can reduce swelling and is a diuretic, dispels heat and
benefits the spleen, produces a pleasant sense of fullness in the chest. When pounded, the juice halts
depression and detoxifies, increases energy and makes aging more bearable. But as it has a cooling quality,
people of weak health should eat it rarely.
23. Loofah:
It is common everywhere in Taiwan, a staple of farming families. It can cool the blood and detoxify, relieve
inflammation and reduce heat, stimulate energy channels and promote blood circulation, eliminate phlegm
and diminish swelling. It benefits the intestines and treats bleeding defecations. It also brings relief from
smallpox and poisoning. For married women who have poor energy and blood circulation, drinking wine with
loofah ash mixed in is very effective. Its quality is that of purity and goodness, a food not to be forbidden
among all others, a wonderful vegetable in all farming households.
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24. Calabash:
Among its many varieties, there is also what is called the scattered turnip. Not only can it be hollowed out
to make an old-fashioned water bottle, it can also be eaten. It is very effective for boosting libido, dispelling a
sense of internal cold and weakness. It can also treat kidney depletion and abdominal distension. But one
whose passive aspect is chilled and blood is thinned should eat it rarely.
25. Coriander:
It is spicy and warming, fragrant and cleansing. Inwardly it clears the heart and spleen. Outwardly it
extends to the four limbs and keeps away all variety of bad energies. For instance, in the early stages of cholera,
measles, or smallpox, a sprinkling of rice wine with coriander mixed in is effective.
ii. Meat, Fish, and Seasonings
1. Pork:
Pigs blood can nourish the blood. Pigs heart can nourish the heart. Pigs liver can nourish the liver. It can
also treat lung deficiency and cough. Pork tripe is beneficial to the stomach and spleen. Once in the large
intestine, it treats flatulence. Once the influence of eating pigs kidneys reaches the kidneys, it treats backache
and deafness. Drinking a soup of boiled pigs feet boosts the production of breast milk. People often delight in
eating pork meat. Foreigners consider the internal organs of a pig to be unhygienic, ignorant that they are not
only nutritious, but are also effective at treating disease. The marrow in pig bones when boiled and eaten in a
soup is especially nutritious.
2. Beef:
Abundantly nutritious, it is excellent nourishment, strengthening muscles and bones. It was considered the
best food by ancient martial arts practitioners. Cows milk smoothes the digestion and averts the effects of
tuberculosis. When a cows flesh has turned numb, it has become infected with bacteria. You should not eat
the meat of a cow that has died from illness.
3. Mutton:
It has a greatly heating quality, boosting the primal active aspect. It is beneficial for those with tuberculosis.
It warms the core and repairs deficiency, increases appetite, smoothes the circulation of energy and blood,
boosts libido, aids the skeleton, and benefits the marrow. After eating the meat of sheep, eat chestnuts to get
rid of the rank smell of it.
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4. Dog meat:
It helps against depletion cold and boosts libido, warms the spleen and tonifies the stomach, aids
digestion and benefits the kidneys. The meat of yellow dogs is good for the spleen. The meat of black dogs is
good for the kidneys. Eating it during the winter is particularly good for increasing heat and keeping away
cold. It is also good for treating malaria. But do not eat the meat of rabid dogs or those that have died from
illness.
5. Chicken:
The meat is sweet and warming. It enriches the blood and warms the core. It is especially good for people
with brittle bones. Because it can eat so many kinds of bugs, the meat is good for treating insect bites. Eating
rooster hearts can strengthen the voice. Eating hen meat is very nourishing and makes an excellent meal. But it
is perhaps too expensive for ordinary people to make it a staple part of their diet.
6. Duck:
When its sweet coldness enters the lungs and kidneys, it nourishes the passive aspect and repairs deficiency,
dispels heat and relieves cough, and smoothes the urinary tract. Those with white feathers, dark bones, and red
crests are excellent for treating tuberculosis, especially with the addition of Chinese angelica.
7. Eggs:
They boost energy and enrich the blood, balance the organs and calm the mind, clear the throat and clarify
the speech. They are beneficial for fevered delirium, cough, and loss of voice. They are also excellent for
dispelling heat and detoxifying.
8. Fish:
Apart from being nutritious, fish can make urination smoother and improve digestion, helping water to
flush out the stomach and intestines. The livers and gallbladders of fish are especially beneficial to the eyes.
Unidentified fish often contain toxins, and so you have to be careful when choosing which ones to eat. Boney
fish, when the bones are smashed and the fish is deep fried, are not only nutritious, but also aid in the growth
of strong bones.
9. Crab:
It dispels heat and tension, eases menstruation and releases stagnant blood, strengthens muscle and bone.
Pounded crabmeat can be applied to knee rashes. In the case of labor so difficult that the infant may die within
the womb, crab claw soup can ease the process.
10. Shrimp:
It loosens phlegm, helps in the digestion of milk, livens the muscles and bones, and helps with impotence.
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11. Frogs:
Also called heavenly chicken, they put energy into the active channels, clean the stomach, induce sweating,
bring down fevers, keep away insects, and can treat subcutaneous ulcers.
12. Table Salt:

Table salt is a daily necessity. It can detoxify the body and stimulate the appetite. Used in soups and baths,
it can treat rheumatism. It can promote smoother defecation and urination, and treat redness of the eyes. It
enters the kidneys and influences the bones, strengthening the muscles and bones, and treats bone disease,
toothache, and itch. Eating too much of it produces thirst and injures the lungs. Those with blood disease,
asthma, or edema should use it rarely or avoid it altogether.
13. Vinegar:
It has an acidic quality. It can help restrain the temperament, treat stomachache and heartburn, aid
digestion and detoxify, move the fluids to flush out harmful materials, calm the emotions and dispel vexation.
If you eat eggs that are hard to digest and suffer abdominal pain, drinking some vinegar will deal with it. You
must not consume excessive amounts of it, which can damage tissues and teeth.
14: Fennel:
Not only is it flavorful, it can also stimulate appetite and relieve inflammation, warm the kidneys and dispel
chill, heat the elixir field and revive the life gate, eliminate cold dampness, treat hernia, and send away
laziness. But you must not eat if there is a lot fire in your organs and you are easily aroused. Both fennel and
star anise are used to make perfumes, and so they should not be eaten too often.
15: Green Onion:

It contains a sulfurous compound (in its warming leaves) that can promote perspiration and internal
harmony. Eating it is beneficial to those suffering from ailments such as stomach flu, muscle cramp, or fever. It
can refresh the active aspect, regulate the blood circulation, and cause freer sweating and urination. It
detoxifies and kills germs. It is very beneficial for women suffering from breast abscesses. But it must not be
eaten with honey, and to eat it with dates will cause illness.
16. Fermented Soybeans:

They can promote sweating to rid irritants, disperse heat in the lungs or stomach. Eating them is beneficial
for dealing with either fever or depression, and can calm the emotions and produce harmony within. If you
suffer from seasonal affective disorder, drinking a soup of fermented soybeans is the best way to smooth this
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problem.
17. Sichuan Wild Pepper:

Also called simply Sichuan pepper, its spicy heat brings the pure active aspect into the lungs, inducing
perspiration and dispelling cold. When its influence enters the spleen, it warms the stomach, aiding digestion
and reducing bloating. When its influence enters the right kidney area of the lower back, it builds fire. It
treats painful chill in the chest and belly. It can kill fleas and germs. But eating it too often can harm the blood
and cause the mouth to become swollen or twisted.
18. Ginger:
It has a spicy flavor and a warming quality. It can dispel cold and release tension, restore your active aspect
and promote blood circulation. It can treat severe chill and abdominal pain, and prevent miasma. It can also
halt bleeding and promote perspiration. Therefore Confucian doctors often use it to treat illness. Confucius
said [It was said of Confucius (Lun Yu, 10.8)]: He had no meals without ginger. From these things can be
seen that it is of great benefit to the human body. But if your passive aspect is too deficient and you are having
night sweats, then you should not eat it.
19. Pepper:
It has a spicy and warming quality, thus it stimulates the appetite. It reduces chronic mucus, aids digestion,
and can detoxify. For those who have a burning cough or are spitting blood, avoid eating pepper, otherwise
such ailments can be greatly exacerbated.
20. Garlic:
This is a helpful food for northerners. It can treat abdominal obstruction and the effects of chilly air, reduce
rheumatism, boost the circulation of blood and energy, and improve the health of the digestive organs. It kills
germs and hidden problems, and treats sunstroke and sluggish waking. It is an excellent side dish, but its
strong flavor causes bad breath, making many people hate it. It is often not eaten in otherwise healthy
households. Overeating it can irritate the liver. Avoid eating it at the same time as honey.
21. Honey:
It moistens the organs, nurtures centeredness, harmonizes nutrition, lubricates digestion, relieves pain,
detoxifies, and rids countless ailments.
iii. Grains and Beans
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1. Wheat:
It is excellent for dispelling extra heat, cultivating mental calm, is a urinary diuretic, stops the spitting of
blood and abnormal sweating. Women who eat it have easier pregnancies, and drinking it in soup helps to
diminish hot flashes.
2. Millet:
It is also called coarse rice. It nourishes the passive aspect to treat insomnia. It unclogs the large
intestines, treats knee rashes. It should be eaten often by sufferers of lung diseases.
3. Glutinous rice:
Its sweet warmth helps depletion chill in the spleen and lungs. It firms defecations, and it reduces
excessive urination, sudden sweats, and the effects of smallpox. But due to its sticky nature, it should be eaten
less by sick people and small children.
4. Red beans:
The red pigment in its skin has the effect of improving the circulation of fluids. It reduces swelling and
detoxifies the body, disperses stagnant blood, and can treat athletes foot. It is a urinary diuretic, but stops
diarrhea. Boiling them and drinking the juice alleviates hangover.
5. Black soybeans:
These beans, which are everywhere, help the kidneys and boost blood circulation, reduce anger and promote
smooth urination, lower fever and dispel inflammation, diminish swelling and relieve pain, tone the kidneys
and treat backache, detoxify the blood and prevent spasming. But when eaten after being boiled with dates,
the result can be weight gain.
6. Mung beans:
Their flavor is sweet and they have a cooling nature. They can diminish heat and fever, wash the stomach
and cleanse the heart, improve blood circulation and detoxify. Dispelling summer heat and reducing swelling,
it is a general tonic, and in tandem with licorice can flush out countless toxins. Therefore doctors have a
three-bean drink formula, comprised of red beans, black soybeans, mung beans. Along with licorice, they can
be used in the treatment of smallpox. Though if your digestive organs feel cold or you have diarrhea, you
should not eat mung beans often.
7. Tofu:
This typical household fare can disperse heat and get stagnant blood moving, reduce bloating in the
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digestive organs, clear out impurities from the large intestine, and can be used to alleviate hangover. Soybean
milk can ease constipation and clear the throat. If you become bloated from overeating tofu, some turnip juice
can dispel it.
(Endnote: This chapter often derives its material from pharmacopeia and was checked against voluminous
medical dictionaries, so that everything listed here is reliable.)
Supplemental Entries:
1. Remedy for hernia:

Fry lychee nuts, tangerine pits, fennel, onion, and table salt in a pot, soak the result into a cloth wrap, and
apply it to the affected area. When it cools, reheat it and reapply. After a long period, this will cure it.
2. Remedy for hernia pain:

Take burned loofah stalk and pestle it into a powder. Swallow it in rice wine once a day. You will recover
after three or four days. Another good method is to use powdered lychee nut in rice wine.
3. Remedy for constipation:

Take pigs gallbladder fried in wine. Two doses will prove very effective. It is also effective to use pigs
gallbladder soaked in water as a suppository.
4. Remedy for inability to urinate:

Pound the juice from green onions and have him drink with clean water on an empty stomach. In the
absence of green onions, chives will do.
Another effective method is to pestle 5 grams of Glaubers salt into a powder, and stuff it into the flesh of
three longan fruits, then have him chew them well and swallow them down.
5. Remedy for swelling produced by constipation:

Use seven mole crickets, roasted and pestled into a powder, mix into clean water, and have him take it on
an empty stomach. This is immediately effective.
PART TWO: PREVENTING AND TREATING ILLNESS
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN: ILLNESSES OF THE HEAD
Section One: Headache
Headache is one of the most common ailments, experienced by upwards of eighty percent of people. It may be
merely painful or fully incapacitating, and may persist indefinitely. If you have constant vexations, are getting
insufficient rest, have job stress, have too many difficult problems to solve, or have an aggravated nervous
system, these will lead to blood swelling in the head and producing headache.
There are a great many kinds of headaches. There are headaches caused by internal brain disease or by
external illness. Migraine is the most commonly seen form of headache. There are headaches that are caused
by fever, high blood pressure, nervous tension, muscular strain, insufficient sleep, overworking yourself, flu,
and so on. All of these things can bring about headaches.
Treatment:
1. Treating it with massage:

Sometimes using massage techniques can be good for treating headaches. Rub the temples with both
hands, then pinch the skin with forefinger and middle finger, causing the skin to redden, then after a slight
rest, you will recover.
2. Treating it by way of posture:

If you get a migraine, you should not lie flat. It would be eased better by standing. Instead of lying down, sit
quietly on a chair. However, when it is sinus pain that is causing a headache, standing would make it worse,
and sitting is not as good as lying down. If a headache has been caused by muscular strain, exercising the neck
muscles will produce sweating and can dispel the headache.
Treatment for a woman who has headaches after giving birth:
Steam sheeps brains in rice wine with three slices of raw ginger. After three doses of this, she will recover.
It is extraordinarily effective.
Prevention:
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1. Get abundant rest and sleep.
2. Have your meals at regularly scheduled times and in fixed quantities, and pay attention to nutrition.
3. Engage in appropriate exercise. Both Baduanjin or Taiji Boxing / Sword are excellent choices. Or take walks
in the countryside to comfort body and mind, reducing vexations.
4. Avoid things that irritate you or make you angry. Especially avoid obsessing over things.
5. Be forgiving toward others, understanding toward yourself, and satisfied with the present moment. There is
a saying: Enough is as good as a feast. Avoid overworking yourself in any task.
6. Keep your nerves very relaxed. Strained nerves or muscles obstruct bloodflow, gradually leading to
headaches. It can also be effective to wash your feet with warm water or massage your head.
Headaches are among the most common ailments. Regardless of strong or weak person, all can succumb.
There is no telling whether it will be merely painful or it will be incapacitating. Generally it is caused by
excessive fatigue, overusing the eyes, or indigestion, nervous breakdown, heart disease, or the blood being
unable to get rid of waste products efficiently, all of which can lead to headache.
Whatever kind of headache the person has, first have him take a rest or sleep with a bandage wrapped
around his head. Or apply cotton gauze to his head soaked in icy water. Both of these methods can ease the
pain. Drinking lots of clean water will help him perspire and to flush the intestines. Using hot water to soak his
feet or rub his back, or applying a hot water wrap, can very effectively reduce the excess blood in his head. It is
especially excellent to wash his feet with boiled water containing used tea leaves.
For a light headache, one should not rush to taking medicine. If one gets into the habit of taking medicine
for everything, he will damage your bodys power of resistance. Keep this in mind. An easy method is for him to
lie down and take droplets of raw turnip juice into the nose.
To treat a migraine, use droplets of alcohol in the ear. For a headache that is worse on the left side, use the
right ear, and for a headache that is worse on the right side, use the left ear. You can also use cats urine
instead. For this method, rub raw ginger on a cats nose to make it urinate.
Section Two: Eyes

A
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Dry eyes:
This means a lack of vitamin A. This problem is prevalent among the poverty-stricken masses. In the very
beginning, there is an itching or burning sensation and a slight sensitivity to light. Sometimes the eyelids are
inflamed. This type of condition is relatively widespread in our nation, in children more than adults. If it goes
on for a long time, the cornea could become infected and undergo a color change due to the festering.
A
Treatment in the early stages is very simple. Beyond using techniques to deal with it once you notice the
problem, you should not be too stingy with money to end up simply enduring the pain. It is best to eat lots of
nutritious food. If you are able to get through three bottles of fish oil, your eyelids with return to being smooth
and will no longer be dry. Vitamin A is typically contained within meats, fish, oils, and liver. Eating these
things often will resolve the issue.
Night blindness:
This a weakening of the vision for perceiving light, caused by a hindering of the functioning of the eye cells.
Sometimes during the day, one receives overly intense sunlight and then feels affected when indoors, an effect
which passes after a short while. This is the eyes adjusting in response to the situation. When an ordinary
person goes from a bright area to a dark area, he requires several minutes for his light vision to be restored.
When going from a dark area to a bright area, he will experience photophobia.
Night blindness divides into innate and acquired. Innate night blindness is a part of nature and there is no
way to deal with it. Acquired night blindness manifests due to the special issues of eye function and is a matter
of inadequate nutrition, a lack of vitamin A, often complicated by conjunctivitis or dry eyes. During the day,
everything seems normal, then at dusk he suddenly seems to go blind. For this condition, pay attention to a
nutritious diet. If you can get through a few bottles of fish oil, you will naturally recover normal vision.
Everyone enjoys having shining eyes. But when the eyes are getting exposed to overly bright light, it is best
to prevent problems early on. Some methods for this are below:
You should not strain to see in bright light or overstimulate your eyes by staring into raging flames. In fierce
sunlight, you should wear sunglasses. When you feel you have pushed your eyes to excessive fatigue,
immediately take a rest. Gaze up at the clear sky at night or watch the fresh hills after a rainfall during the day.
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Protecting the eyes:

Constantly change what your eyes are looking at. Work does not always harm the eyes, but if you are doing
work such as reading, typing, sewing, then you are indeed weakening your eyes. If you are doing these tasks for
a long time, you should gaze out a window and off into the distance.
You should also find some time for outdoor activities in order to give your eyes more opportunity for
exercise. When your eyes feel fatigued, close your eyes for a while and let tears naturally moisten them, or cover
your eyes with your hands and gaze out toward some dark area. When going out, it is ideal to wear dark
sunglasses. During either intense sunlight or at dusk, you should not overstrain your eyes.
Whenever some small bug flies into your eye, you should absolutely not rub at it with your hand. It is best to
lightly cover your eyes and let your tears move it to the corner of your eye, then use a handkerchief to wipe it
away. However, the handkerchief has to be clean. If this method is not effective, use clean warm water with a
pinch of table salt to rinse your eyes. Rinsing your eyes with a boric acid solution works even better.
If photophobia produces red and swollen eyes, it is often effective to rinse with a boric acid solution and
take a long rest. Another method if the eyes are painfully swollen is to spread raw ginger juice mixed with
green vitriol on your eyelids, which can immediately lessen the pain. However, you should not let any enter
your eyes.
Section Three: Ears, Nose, and Teeth
The ear suffers relatively few external illnesses, though it can become victim to diseases such as syphilis,
leprosy, or cancer, and it may suffer injuries such as frostbite, being struck, or getting cut. But even if the ear
receives external damage, the sense of hearing will not be affected very much. Internally, the eardrum is easily
damaged, usually due to excessive noise irritating the ear. Other issues such as external objects entering the
ear, for instance small insects, or digging out excessive earwax with a probing stick, can lead to damage,
causing inflammation within the ear.
The common inflammations in the ear, apart from those caused by external objects entering the ear, are
caused by clogged eustachian tubes. These blockages should be cleared. If there is a fluid within the ear, it has
to be drained, and if not treated early, it will fester. A ruptured eardrum is a very dangerous condition.
Treatment for pus-filled ear:

The best way is to first drip a couple drops of hydrogen peroxide into the ear, then stuff in sterilized gauze.
This will draw out the pus. Change the gauze every few hours. After a few days, pour in a warm rinse of boric
acid and water to draw out whatever is left, and then he will recover.
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Treatment for deafness:

It can be cured after several applications of dripping bird or tortoise urine into the ear. To obtain tortoise
urine, shine a mirror in its face until it urinates. Though if the person is past forty years old, this will not be as
effective.
Methods of prevention:
1.
When you have a slight itch in your ear, if there is not an excessive amount of earwax, then be sure not to
rashly dig around in your ear. Especially avoid using sharp objects or matchstick tips to pick wax from your
ear.
2.
Do your best to avoid all powerful explosive sounds. If you cannot avoid them, you should open your mouth
wide, which will balance the external pressure on the ear.
3.
When sleeping during an ear problem, sleep on that side so that any pus can easily flow out.
4.
If your ears have some kind of illness, you must not smoke, drink alcohol, or eat perfumed foods. If you often
taking quinine [for instance to treat malaria], it could very well cause damage or hearing loss. In such
extraordinary circumstances, conscientiously guard against this, for if ones sense of hearing is lost, it is not
easily regained.
Treatment for chronic ear inflammation or fluid discharge from the ear:
Add a small quantity of borneol to some thick paper. Pestle this into a powder and blow it into the ear,
which can halt the oozing pus. It is also effective to use a spent lamp wick mixed with borneal, ground down,
the powder blown into the ear. As is dripping blood from a roosters comb into the ear. In the case of hearing
loss, peanut shells boiled with sugar crystals can be very effective for restoring it.
The nose has two major functions:

1. Breathing through the nose warms the air that is breathed in and the nasal hairs can clean the air to keep
dust and germs from getting in.
2. The nose is a specialized organ for smelling. When ones sense of smell is impaired, there is surely some
illness in the nose or obstruction to the nasal passages. When we sleep, we should close our mouths and
breathe through the nose. If you sleep with your mouth open, your tongue is liable to feel as though it is
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covered in fur and your throat dries out, easily leading to nasal congestion and respiratory illness.
Methods of protecting the nose:
1. Do not pick at your nose too aggressively. Once you have a cold, this can enable germs to invade more easily
and produce further illness.
2. Avoiding the habit of sleeping with your mouth open can improve your sense of smell. Breathing through
your mouth can lead to respiratory illness and can also weaken your voice.
3. Do not inhale snuff, or eat foods that contain a lot of stimulating ingredients, which can easily cause damage
to the nasal membranes.
4. Always be in the habit of breathing deeply and breathing through your nose, thereby keeping your nostrils
from getting clogged.
5. Regularly performing techniques of massaging the nose can prevent the onset of all nasal illnesses.
Preventing nose bleeds:

Illness commonly involves fever, increasing blood circulation. The capillaries in the nose get expanded and
will easily rupture, even more easily for a person who has high blood pressure, is old, or has hardened arteries,
or for small children.
Treatment:
If someone suffers from a nose bleed, the solution is simply to apply pressure, pinching his nose closed, and
the bleeding will generally cease after five minutes. This works even better if you stuff sterilized cotton into the
nose, or you may bunch up some tissue over the upper lip. It is also useful to apply ice to the nape of the neck
or to the head or body. Pay attention to clearing out congealed blood from the nose. If there is also bleeding
from the eyes, the treatment is to pound down a sweet potato in a bowl, then mix the resulting juice with
honey. Three sips of this will be magically effective and will prevent the flow from restarting.
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Sinus infection:
This often brings headache, runny nose, and reduced sense of smell, and sometimes also brings low spirits,
bodily fatigue, loss of appetite, reduced memory ability, loss of determination, inability to concentrate, even
insomnia. If it goes on for a long time, it can lead to laryngitis, tracheitis, or pneumonia.
Treatment:
Quickly lie down in bed and convalesce. Drink lots of water. To apply hot water, soak hand towels or cotton
in boiling water, then wring them out and wrap them over the nose. Frequently dripping a solution of warm
water and salt into the nose to rinse it out can be very helpful. Other tips have already been described in
Section One of Chapter Eleven.
Preventing tooth loss:

Teeth are the surplus of bones. They are the first stage of digestion. If your teeth decay, there will be much
suffering, therefore you should conscientiously protect your teeth. After a meal, there are usually particles of
foods left between the teeth. If this residue is not removed, it will become a breeding ground for germs, and so
it is essential to brush it away well. People usually brush their teeth twice, in the morning and at night. If you
feel you are not brushing sufficiently or properly, you should also brush once after meals. After waking in the
morning, rinse your mouth right away, though you do not need to do this right before you go to bed at night.
As for the method of brushing your teeth, it is best if you can use straight inward and outward strokes, not
only sideways strokes. Straight strokes clean out junk from the teeth. You can brush without using toothpaste.
The best toothpaste is rather expensive, and is not as good as brushing with table salt anyway. Some people say
that brushing with table salt can cause yellowing of the teeth, but it is also not necessary.
If you can take care of your teeth in this way, ultimately every tooth will be preserved well. You should not
bite hard on things or eat overly cold or hot foods. You will thus not have to run to dentists with a report of
toothache!. Methods of controlling toothache have already been described and do not need to be repeated
here.
Section Four: Acute Inflammations of the Mouth or Tongue
Acute inflammations of the mouth or tongue are often caused by an unsanitary environment or by eating
inappropriate or indigestible foods. These kinds of inflammation are thus a problem with small children. But
adults also suffer from them. The severity of the condition varies. In the beginning, there is some slight
redness, swelling, drooling, and ulcers appear in the mouth that emit a white pus, causing the breath to stink.
This condition can even cause distending of the lower jaw.
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Treatment:
With this kind of inflammation, attention should be paid to hygiene. Frequently eat fruits high in vitamins.
Mix a boric acid solution or a teaspoon of table salt into a cup of clean water and gargle it, then gargle each
day after meals. After three days, there will be recovery.
Gangrenous stomatitis:
This often spreads to the lips and cheeks. Treat it by applying a mix of alcohol and water to moisten the
affected area, and this will stabilize it.
Section Five: Sore Throat and Inflammation of the Neck
On the use of cotton gauze for this:

Put a thin clean cloth in cold water, then take it out, wring it dry, and wrap it around the affected area,
covering it well with a soft towel. Wait until there is fever or a night has passed, then wipe the area with a cold
wet towel, then once the area is dry, cover it with cotton gauze and flannel.
Treatment for when there is facial swelling and the throat is closing off:
You can use some earthworms and white sugar mixed evenly in a bowl and then covered. Once the mix
starts to liquefy, dip a ducks feather into the liquid and apply it to the affected area, diminishing the
symptoms. Then take excrement gathered from a swallows nest, pound it down, and mix it into some vinegar,
then apply to the affected area, and this will bring recovery. In the case of mumps, take forty-nine small azuki
beans, pestle them into a powder, mix with water, and apply the paste to the affected area.
Section Six: Wrinkles are Not an Illness
Wrinkles accumulate as a person ages, unavoidably appearing on the face. Regardless of man or woman, the
skin after the age of twenty-five starts to decline. A phenomenon of aging is that wrinkles appear on the face.
After the age of thirty, they will only increase. Wrinkles demonstrate our personalities, helping us express
ourselves. People will invariably age. It is not necessary to sigh at oneself in the mirror. A weary old person has
even more wrinkles. It is a sign of ones age. Nevertheless, there are hopeful young men and women who think
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that wrinkled old people are not very pretty and then go get plastic surgery.
If you are not a movie star, you do not have to go that far. It should be understood that plastic surgery is
only a temporary transformation and that a permanent transformation is impossible. As wrinkles reach the
hairline, they naturally cause the look of the head to change. If there is a tightening applied to this skin, it will
be hard to avoid harmful consequences. What will you do if surgery causes the skin to become even more limp?
If you have no answer to this, then you absolutely must not lightly choose to have a surgery.
Treatment:
1. Use an orange-peel wrinkle rinse:

Oranges contain nutrients that can make the skin smooth as well as give the skin nourishment. Thus you
can take some orange juice, or pulped orange peel, soak it in wine for a week, and use it as a wrinkle rinse. You
can also apply some orange juice with boric acid and honey mixed in.
2. You should avoid getting depressed about it, instead looking at life philosophically and putting everything
into perspective. If you have wrinkles before the age of thirty, you may wash with hot water and apply hot
towels to relax the skin, then use a hand to massage it, upward and downward, to the left and right. Washing
your face with hot water every time you go to bed at night can mitigate the appearance of wrinkles. Although
this is ever so inconvenient, at least it is not dangerous. Wrinkles are not a real illness and should not be
treated like one.
Section Seven: Preventing Baldness
Head hair is the most important part of a persons looks, especially for a woman. A head of beautiful hair adds
a great deal of splendor. Even if you have a beautiful face, if you do not have lovely hair to complement it, it
really seems as though something is lacking. Consequently, people invariable treasure their hair. As for how
exactly to prevent balding, there is still no effective means. The hair tonics that businesses currently sell are for
the most part frauds. The same problem exists in America, ordinary people intent on improving their looks
and so frantically in love with their hair that they indiscriminately try every tonic, be it good or bad, and thus
the fake medicines sell just as well.
The reason that peoples hair falls out has usually to do with an overly dry scalp, a period of serious illness
such as typhoid fever, or a dirty scalp full of corrosive dead skin. If such issues continue to be ignored, they can
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damage hair and cause it to gradually fall out. If you do not pay attention to these points, your head will end up
shining like a light bulb, to your ceaseless regret.
Prevention method:
Put some pure olive oil in a glass bottle, then put the bottle in hot water to heat the oil. Then spread the oil
through your hair, to the left and front, forward and back, using a soft brush or cotton swabs, gently rubbing
the roots of your hair with the oil. Once the oil has been applied evenly, then use your fingers to scratch at your
scalp for about fifteen minutes. Leave the oil on your head for as long as you can to give it the opportunity to
seep into your scalp. Then finally wash your head with soapy water. Do this two or three times a week for a
month and your hair will never fall out. To deal with the dirt that builds up on the scalp, it is best to wash your
hair once a week. It is not good to wash your hair too often.
Nutrition:
Eat lots of seaweed or black moss. Seaweed, which has a high vitamin content and is delicious, can prevent
both greying and balding. The wife of a Dr. George Schofield of Philadelphia bought a silver-fox rabbit fur
coat, the fur of which was long and firm. He tracked down the source of the animal and discovered the
Norwegians fed them mostly with seaweed. He thereupon took a hundred mice, divided them into groups A
and B, and fed the A mice mostly seaweed while the B mice were left with their normal diet. After two years,
the fur of the A mice was longer, firmer, and softer. The fur of the B mice was much thinner and gradually they
lost the fur on their legs. He then set about manufacturing doses of seaweed to promote the growth of human
hair. This remedy is currently in vogue in Norway, northern Germany, and America.
These are but a few words on the use of seaweed, a simple and easy means of early prevention. Until it
becomes fashionable for movie stars and cultured gentlemen to shave their heads or bald-headed women are
seen as the most beautiful, here is a method that can solve the problem.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: INTERNAL ILLNESSES
Section One: Lower Back Pain
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If joints get slightly shifted from or damaged in their position, or if atrophy of the tissues between the
vertebrae reduces blood circulation, these things will lead to lower back pain. With a moment of carelessness
during manual labor, you can happen to twist your back. Coldness or weakness in the kidneys can also cause
lower back pain. Excessive strain or muscle fatigue are also major causes of lower back pain.
Treatment:
1. For sudden lower back pain, you should take a rest with your body curled up on a bed. Lying on your back,
raise up your head and legs, slowly arching toward each other so your lower back is curved downward. You will
feel better after a day or two of such bed rest.
2. If you can easily bend forward to put on your shoes without too much pain, you can perform appropriate
exercise. Practicing Baduanjin can train the abdomen and spine, increasing the lower backs capacity to curve.
There is also the treatment for lower back pain described in Section Two of Chapter Eleven.
3. While sleeping, have a plank under the bedding to keep your posture from collapsing. You should sleep on
your side with your legs bent in, and must not lie on your belly. If the pain is very bad, you can take some
aspirin. Lying down in a tub of hot water can ease the pain. Stand by pressing your back against a wall,
drawing in your belly. When fatigued, put a foot on a stool. When seated, both legs can be propped up on the
stool with your legs crossed. It is best if you are sitting on a hard bench with a back. If you experience strain in
your back that gives you side pain, take 5 grams of powdered catechu in some rice wine and you will recover.
Prevention:
Usually when someone speaks of a pain in the back, this person is surely excessively fatigued, or has
sprained himself through a moment of inattention while lifting a heavy object, exerting himself
inappropriately. Both of these things can lead to pain in the back. Beyond other illnesses that give rise to back
pain, ordinary back pain can be prevented through the following methods:
1. Whenever you sit down, do not sit down too rapidly, instead be calm and unhurried. If you sit too suddenly,
you might give a jolt to your vertebrae that will affect your dorsolumbar nerve.
2. When lifting heavy objects, you should stand by bending your knees, using the strength of your whole body
to undertake the task. Never twist your body vigorously to lift a heavy object.
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3. If you are laboring for too long a time, it is best for you to stand up, stretch out your back, and move your
body around.
4. If working seated on a chair at a desk, they should both be at a moderate height. If you feel any back pain,
stand up and press your body against a wall so that your head, back, buttocks, and heels are all in contact with
it. Then slowly walk away from it while standing very straight. If you do this for ten minutes each day, not only
will you prevent lower back pain, you will keep yourself from becoming hunchbacked.
Section Two: Methods of Preventing Varicose Veins
Whether people have naturally weak veins or stand for long periods at their workplace, both situations can
produce varicose veins. After a long time, the veins on the calves can rise up, becoming gnarled and twisted as
though the blood vessels are earthworms.
1.
You must not sit in one place for too long or stand for too long. If you have been sitting for an hour, be it
aboard a train, boat, plane, or at home on a sofa, you should then get up and move around for a while. Or if
you are going to be sitting for a long time on a sofa, you can use a cushion to elevate your legs.
2.
You should engage in regular appropriate exercise, the best being walking, cycling, or swimming. If you work
as a shop assistant, you should sit on a high stool and your stockings must not be too tight. There is a heart
specialist in London who says: When people get to be middle-aged, they should walk at least a mile every day.
Moreover, they should not choose the elevator [instead of the stairs] when going up to their offices, otherwise
they increase the risk of thrombosis in the coronary arteries. The minimum exercise for human beings is to
use their own feet to get around, but there are many people who are not willing to exercise and cannot be
bothered to walk around on their own feet. If this behavior goes on for too long, they will become patrons of
some pharmacy.
Section Three: Preventing High Blood Pressure
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High blood pressure is the most prevalent illness nowadays. It is also the most difficult to cure. To treat it,
beyond seeking the advice of a doctor, it is very important for the victim to take good care of himself, especially
in the beginning stages. Complications of high blood pressure, such as heart palpitations, heart discomfort, or
arthritis, if not prevented early on, can lead to dangerous consequences.
Life within this confused and restless world puts people into too many situations of agitation. Agitated
emotions lead to physiological imbalance. The pituitary and adrenal glands do their best to resist, but after
taking on such a burden year after year, there will come a day when their capacity to resist can no longer stand
up to the increasing pressure, and naturally things will fall apart and produce suffering. The result is
hardening of the arteries and a sudden increase in blood pressure, and thereby heart disease develops.
But the unpredictable changes in our modern world, the sheer variety of events, increase agitation daily. I
encourage you all: do not become agitated. To say this is easy, but to carry it out is difficult. Just understand
that agitation is the source of countless illnesses. Illnesses are dangerous, and so on behalf of your own ability
to give rest to your body and mind, below are some simple methods of preventing high blood pressure:
1. Avoid all things that irritate you, for you should keep your emotions balanced and calm.
2. Do not partake of movies, plays, or novels that are overstimulating.
3. Eat lots of green vegetables and fruit. Do not eat to the point of being too full.
4. You should rarely eat salty foods, for salt can increase high blood pressure. Rarely indulge in alcohol, tea,
seasonings, or foods that are overly stimulating.
5. Get abundant sleep and proper recuperation. You should engage in gentle rather than strenuous exercise.
6. You must not regard your illnesses with undue fear, because fear can increase high blood pressure.
7. Using rice as your staple food is very beneficial toward this illness. It is said that eating cooked rice can
treat high blood pressure, results being seen after a month. White rice is quite flavorful. There is no harm in
trying it.
Section Four: Hands-On Therapy for Blood Stagnation
When a person is feverish or depressed, they will recover after a session of cupping on the sides of the back,
producing circular bruise marks. For a sore throat, there is the method of grabbing the throat, producing red
lines on the skin. For a headache, use both hands to rub the sides of the forehead, or it is also helpful to use
your middle finger and forefinger to twist the skin on the bridge of your nose and between your eyebrows,
producing red lines. Western medicine does not deny this treatment. (See the cupping method described in
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Section Two of Chapter Eleven.)
Section Five: Heart Disease
The heart is an organ composed of muscle. It lies in the chest between the lungs. It beats day and night without
rest until death. Our hearts normally beat about seventy-two times per minute. Usually as the heart beats, we
do not feel it. Because its movement cannot be affected by our will, it does its job naturally.
Cause of problems:
Drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, addiction to brothels, compulsive gambling, using drugs, drinking
coffee, and engaging in strenuous exercise all harm the heart. Common symptoms of heart attack are: rapid
breathing using the upper abdomen, chest pain that spreads to the back, unceasing coughing involving
spitting out white saliva. Quickly seat the person in a comfortable position, loosen his clothes, stay calm to
keep him at ease, and advise him to breathe deeply and slowly, exhaling from his mouth. These things will help
him to recover.
Prevention:
Good diet, fresh air, and daily hygiene all can strengthen the whole body, but to protect the heart, you
especially have to give attention to the items below:
1.
Stop drinking and smoking, and avoid drugs.
2.
Teeth with cavities or decayed roots should be treated early or pulled. If a dental problem worsens or gum
disease sets in, it should treated quickly.
3.
If ones heart disease is not severe, he can engage in mild exercise, he should eat food that is plain and easy to
digest, he must not do any excessive physical labor, and he should clear his mind of worries. These things will
help keep the heart safe.
Section Six: Arthritis
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Arthritis is also called rheumatism. It divides into two types: mild and severe. When mild, one feels some
slight pain or discomfort, alternating between feeling good and feeling bad. When severe, it is not only
intensely painful, but can also become crippling. Compared to the mild version, there seems to be pain in the
muscles, nerves, and in the fingers and toes. Arthritis commonly manifests in the upper back, lower back,
knees, ankles, hips, thighs, and shoulders. Whenever there is movement in the joints, pain is easily produced.
If a person at age twenty-five is troubled by this illness, it can shorten his lifespan, although this illness
occurs in women more often than men. If it is allowed to develop, the joints will have reddened swelling and
become restricted in their motion, and may even gain scarring. After a long period, such changes will become
crippling and a person may collapse from exhaustion or muscle spasm.
Treatment:
There are quite a few effective medicines for this illness, but it is not enough to take medicine. One must
make use of physiological principles for it to be effective. For the areas where the joints can move, the hands
and feet can soak in a bucket of hot water. Bathing the limbs with heat can relax them from spasming. To
prevent fatigue, one should get abundant rest. Appropriate massage should be performed to strengthen the
joints and improve blood circulation. To preserve the surrounding muscle, engage in specific mild exercises for
maintaining joint mobility. Then rest quietly, keeping your emotions calm. For pain relief, it is effective to
apply hot water or a hot-water bag to the affected area.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: ILLNESSES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS
Section One: Chronic Gastroenteritis
Begin by regulating your eating and drinking in order to restore intestinal function. The less medicine you use,
the better. One who puts his faith in food does not put his fate into the hands of medicine. Eating easily
digestible food and engaging in appropriate exercise will have a beneficial effect toward this ailment. You
absolutely should not resort to a thoughtless variety of medical remedies, which will only damage your
digestive organs. Getting outdoor exercise, taking frequent baths, and massaging your own belly will typically
be effective enough.
For treating appendicitis, taking sargent gloryvine powder with wine is effective. Otherwise, quickly get to
the hospital and have the organ removed.
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Section Two: Gastric Ulcer
Gastric ulcers occur where the greater curvature of the stomach meets the pylorus section. In this area, the
sticky and springy lining of the stomach is at its tightest. If you eat coarse food, it is very easy for it to scratch
the lining. Once the lining has been torn, it is easy for the digestive juices to flow in and create a wound,
making a slight hole in the stomach wall. This hole is called a gastric ulcer. Whenever you become agitated,
secretions suddenly increase and the acids of your stomach lining will flow along with them. Usually where a
corrosive ulcer has formed, you will sometimes feel a dull pain. This is commonly called stomach disease.
Whenever you become agitated, worried, frustrated, or angry, your mind loses its balance and your stomach
feels pain. It is good to treat the problem as soon as you begin to feel it.
Treatment:
Within the first week, eat some ice cream mixed with milk every hour, then move on to some eggs, then
bread batter, then rice porridge, gradually reducing the frequency of such meals, and finally eat vegetables and
fruits. These things can dilute gastric juices to protect the site of the ulcer. By using this simple treatment,
there can be recovery in three to five weeks. After that, you should keep it in mind to be cautious with your diet
for three to five months in order to avoid a recurrence. Eat many small meals [instead of a few large ones]. Fish
and meat should be eaten infrequently, as should any foods that are coarse and irritating. Refrain from eating
foods that are excessively cold or hot. All food should be chewed well before swallowing it down. You should not
drink things such as wine or coffee heavily. If you have laryngitis, tracheitis, or catch a cold, each of these
things can easily cause your ulcer to relapse. Therefore you have to pay attention to such illnesses. If your ulcer
does recur, you should instinctively resume your liquid diet of ice cream mixed with milk.
Section Three: Acute Gastritis
Acute gastritis is often caused by excessive eating of course food, fast food, hot drinks, cold snacks, raw food,
soft drinks, or consuming impure foods or excessive wine, all of which may cause this illness. After such foods
have already entered your stomach, your stomach will feel unwell, you will feel sudden pain, and you will feel a
slight nausea that makes bile rise up so you taste it revoltingly on your tongue or even vomit.
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Treatment:
For the victim, vomiting is the best natural method of emptying the discomforting contents of the stomach.
Make him then lie down and rest quietly. Then take a towel soaked in hot water and wrung dry and place it
around his belly under a dry cloth. Have him repeatedly gargle with clean water. To then fast for a day will be
effective, and he should then eat only foods that are easy to digest such as a watery gruel. An easy method for
dealing with painful gas is to pestle some lychee nuts and costus root into a powder, then have him take this
with strong spirits. This is magically effective.
Section Four: Methods of Preventing Gastric Illness
Prevention is superior to treatment. The stomach easily falls prey to illness. The stomach is a muscular tissue.
It is an exquisite chemical laboratory in which it performs meticulous work. Inside, it secretes a fluid of
hydrocloric acid enzymes as well as a concentrated supply of lubricating mucus, then sends material down into
the intestines by way of contractions. Because a person should safeguard this chemical process, attention
should often be given to ensuring that it proceeds very smoothly. It takes about four hours after ordinary foods
have entered the stomach for digestion to be completed, which is plenty of time for things to hinder the
process, bringing about illness or other bad consequences.
Additionally, gastric illness is often a matter of stagnant food, stagnant water, or stagnant air, or of unclean
food that has become a breeding ground for germs. It cannot be treated with medicines, but sometimes the use
of massage techniques is extremely effective. Regardless of what is stagnant, be it food, water, or air, a lengthy
period of massage can get these things to move at last. In the case of germs that are resistant against whatever
medicine you might be taking, they can be killed off by way of massage techniques and will then depart with
ones defecations. Massage techniques are tremendously beneficially against gastric illness, but are not
appropriate for dealing with gastric ulcers.
Prevention:
1.
Cultivate the good habit of eating foods on schedule. Do not frequently snack between meals, instead give your
stomach a rest during that time.
2.
Do not eat foods too fast, eat foods simply because they are tasty, or eat to excess. If you do not chew your food
thoroughly, you will be giving your stomach more work to do and make digestion difficult.
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3.
You should not eat too large a variety of foods, nor eat things that are too salty or too sweet. All of these things
influence digestion. To eat candy on an empty stomach is harmful to the stomach lining. Eating foods that are
too cold or too hot, eating too much or drinking too much all of these things are unacceptable to the
stomach. Foods that are excessively seasoned not only harm the stomach lining, they are also harmful to the
liver and kidneys. Before or after eating or drinking, to be overexcited, anxious, fearful, or angry all hinder the
stomachs chemical process.
If you eat or drink a lot of something that you are unable to digest, it can be vomited out or come out later
by way of diarrhea, but the stomach has already been harmed. To maintain the robustness of the stomach, you
must be careful what you eat. Once gastric illness is generated, you are sure to experience an endless suffering.
Generally, foods that have a very potent smell or are stimulating should rarely be eaten. For easily digestible
foods, fruits are best.
Section Five: Dry Defecations and Constipation
Dry defecations and constipations are often caused by eating foods that are not suitable for the season you are
in, the result of an irregularity in life. This kind of illness is not something that a simple laxative or intestinal
lavage can deal with. If you have cultivated good habits, do not use any such purgatives, for then it could be
even more problematic. If you have no other illnesses, it would be best to use no medicine at all. It is better to
mindfully take care of yourself.
Some people think that for a bowel movement to happen too quickly is vulgar. They might go into the
bathroom with not only some toilet paper, but also a couple of newspapers, reading through five or six articles
with nothing yet coming out. It is not only unhygienic to sit on an unclean toilet for an extended period of
time, it can also cause your blood pressure to rise. Or if you push with too much effort, you might cause
rupturing to your anus, which can cause your blood pressure to abruptly spike, hardening the cerebral artery,
and easily causing disaster, commonly leading to fainting in the bathroom. High blood pressure added on top
of ones problems with constipation is a great menace in life.
Prevention:
You should eat proper foods, maintain a regular lifestyle, get plenty of sleep, do not overwork either your
body or mind, chew your food thoroughly before swallowing, eat plenty of grains, vegetables, fruits, and drink
plenty of water. Eat vegetables such as carrots, bamboo shoots, and pumpkin. Fruits such as bananas, peaches,
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pears, and papayas can be eaten frequently. You should not drink strong tea or eat lots of lean meat. Your
bowel movements can thus be smooth.
Exercise:
Engage in fitness exercises while on your bed. Practice deep breathing out in the fresh air or go for walks.
Practice all the soft movements of Baduanjin. If you can put these things into practice consistently, not only
will they promote digestion, they will also improve blood circulation, and thus your abdominal organs will
become increasingly livened, giving you enormous benefit.
Section Six: Childhood Diarrhea
For the health of your children, it is essential to prevent diarrhea, and so you should pay attention to every
aspect of their daily life.
1.2.3.4.
5.6.
Prevention:
1. Kill all flies.
2. Keep food clean. All eating utensils should be washed each day in boiling water to disinfect them.
3. Pay attention to the sanitary conditions of your home, both inside and out.
4. Teach your children to cultivate good hygiene habits.
5. They should rarely eat snacks between meals, and they should not eat foods or fruits from night markets.
6. Do not allow your children to go near people with enterogastritis. They should not be playing with toys or
eating food in the same room as sick people, for their bodies are delicate and it is easy for illness to be
transmitted to them.
There are many kinds of diarrhea. Regardless of adult or child, if it goes on for a protracted period, it becomes
dysentery. The main symptoms are mushy watery defecations with a particularly foul odor. They may be as wet
as water itself, or occur many times. It is caused by overeating or by eating foods that are unclean, moldy, or
toxic. Or it may be caused by contracting a virus, or by excessive anxiety or fear. Or it may come about due to
muggy summer days when one is affected by excessive moisture in the air and toxic vapors can get inside the
body. All of these things can lead to diarrhea. If it is dysentery that is bloody or clear, or alternating between
bloody and clear, or so extreme that it is occurring ten times a night, this is a very bad illness.
Recuperation:
Keep him from eating anything, drinking only thin tea, salted water, or boiled cows milk, and convalesce
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quietly in bed. Covering the belly with a cloth soaked in hot water can reduce abdominal pain.
For treatment, these effective methods build upon those described in Chapter Eleven:
1.
Use a dose of raw pulped lotus root in heated wine.
2.
Cook dried ginger until blackened, then pestle it into a powder after it has cooled. Use in doses of 5 grams with
rice-cooked water and a pinch of sugar. Use brown sugar for bloody dysentery, white sugar for clear dysentery,
both for dysentery that alternates between bloody and clear. With doses of this, there can be recovery.
3.
If dysentery continues for a long time without recovery, serve salted fish fried in sesame oil. Several helpings of
this will be effective.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: CONTAGIOUS DISEASES
Section One: Malaria
Malaria, common in the tropics, is the mischief of small parasites. Once a person has been bitten by a
mosquito, the parasites enter the bloodstream. Sufferers of this illness may experience sudden changes of
temperature, nausea, vomiting, and coma. Once a person has caught malaria, you should make him
comfortable. When he shivers, give him hot water to drink, as well as a hot water bottle and a hot water
sponging. If he has a fever, apply ice or cold water to his forehead, chest, and whole body. Or have him drink
orange juice or lemonade. If he greatly sweats, mop it up with a dry cloth. Food should be particularly
nourishing in order to replenish the deficiency in the blood. Quinine is the medicine specially used to treat
malaria, but it produces ringing in the ears.
Prevention:
The most important thing is to exterminate mosquitoes and their eggs. Keep a sanitary environment and
drainage system. For sleeping at night, use a mosquito net, and do not let many people enter it. Nowadays,
facilities are kept completely sanitary and so there are very few victims. If you contract this disease, eat a lot of
dog meat, the effects of which are like a panacea.
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Section Two: Common Cold
The flu is brought about by a particular type of germ which builds up in the mucus of the nasal cavity or
windpipe. The germ is very prolific, thus when there is coughing or sneezing, these mucus particles get
scattered through the air and can infect other people, spreading regardless of age with equal ease. This illness
is complicated by being so very common, and so you should be especially aware of it.
Prevention:
The victim should be isolated, he should cover his mouth with his hand when he coughs and his
handkerchiefs should then be disinfected. When going near him, you should be wearing a surgical mask.
During the contagion period, he should rarely go to any public places. For individual prevention, you should
engage in plenty of outdoor exercise to increase your robustness, get regular and sufficient sleep, and food
should be hygienic. If you fear you have already caught a cold, you should lie in your bed and rest, soak your
feet in hot water, put a hot compress on your chest, drink plenty of fluids to make it easier to perspire, or drink
a lot of salted water.
Treatment:
American doctors once conducted public experiments in which they use salted water to treat the common
cold. The method was that when a patient started sneezing, it was a sign of the onset of flu, and he was given
an ounce of thick salty soup to drink in order to keep him from getting a runny nose. After drinking it, he did
not talk of feeling very thirsty and did not want to drink water. It is ordinarily maintained that when one
catches a cold, one should drink lots of water. This method happens to work upon the reverse principle. There
is usually no harm in drinking salted water, for it takes the fluids within the body that would become nasal
mucus and turns them instead into urine. If the nose stays dry, one can avoid becoming contagious as well
recover earlier. (All the methods above have been touched on in Chapter Eleven.)
Section Three: Scarlet Fever
Scarlet fever commonly gets called heat stroke. This illness is extremely contagious and can often result in
death. Symptoms are: high fever, inflamed throat, shivering, vomiting, and convulsions.
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Treatment:
The victim should convalesce in bed and drink lots of clean water to help flush out the virus from the
internal organs faster and produce smoother defecations. If the temperature is too high, wipe the body down
with cold water or apply a cold wet cloth to the forehead to reduce the heat. Once the heat seems to subside,
bathe him with soapy water. He should eat foods such as thick soup or thin gruel and drink orange juice or
heated lemonade mixed with clean water. Those with robust builds should eat little. If his temperature is not
high, you can use a wrapped hot compress.
Section Four: Prevention and Treatment for Typhoid and Cholera
Prevention maintain a sanitary environment and individual hygienic habits:

1.
Drinking water should be boiled.
2.
Do not use impure cold water to brush your teeth or gargle.
3.
Do not eat uncooked food.
4.
Do not eat food that has been eaten at by flies or mosquitoes.
5.
Leftovers that have become moldy cannot be eaten.
6.
You must not eat muskmelon and cucumber raw. You should only eat them after they have been rinsed in
boiled water and the skins have been peeled off.
7.
Wash your hands before a meal.
8.
Do not have any contact with an infected person.
9.
Being careful when working with foods, frequently engaging in appropriate exercise, and bathing are good
habits which can strengthen your resistance.
10.
Do not frequent public places for your amusement. The air will be foul and it will be easy to become infected.
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Treatment:
1.
Cholera comes with abdominal pain and cramping in the thighs. To force oneself to stand can sometimes help.
Additionally a man can pull his genitals upward and a woman can stroke her breasts downward. Having a
helping of fried papaya is also good, as is applying pulped garlic bulbs to the soles of the feet, telling a sick
person to stand facing a wall and dip his hands in warm water then slap his thighs ten times, or using
acupuncture needles to pierce the bulging blue veins and get the blackened blood to flow out. There will then
be recovery.
2.
When infected with cholera, there may be vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, high temperature. Use a smooth bowl,
pour in a cup of hot water, add one or two spoonfuls of sesame oil, mix them well, feed it to the victim, who is
sitting upright, gradually giving more until the bowl is dry, then repeat. This will induce red spots to arise on
his back, the pathogens will correspondingly descend, his stomach will growl greatly, all aches will diminish,
and the victim will recover after some sleep. This is a convenient and effective method.
Section Five: Burning Fever
When a person is feverish, the pulse and breathing are increased, and there is headache and nausea. When
fever manifests, one must rest in bed in a shady, well-aired, clean room, and refrain from all activity. The
ordinary persons body temperature is generally between 97.2 and 99.5 degrees. If a fever is not too high, one
can go out for a walk and amuse oneself. Have him eat many tangerines or drink juice from tangerine
concentrate. The reason for this is that tangerines can reduce a fever and keep it from rising, and if sickness
intensifies, will promote bowel movements. Have him drink lots of clean water, eat little food, or skip meals. It
is effective to rub the body with warm water, then cold water, then wine, then wipe the head and body with a
cold cloth, then have him drink lots of cold water. This is because there is too much waste within the body and
it needs to be sweat out from the kidneys. One with a high fever should drink lots of cold water to help bring
his temperature back down to the right level.
Section Six: Recurrent Fever
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This illness is a kind of acute infectious disease, resulting in a squirming in the blood that manifests as a
sudden fever. If headache and backache persist for several days, then subside, then return after several days,
this illness is most often the reason. This illness seems a lesser issue, but it is more serious in tropical places
and results in death more often there. When looking into this illness, it appears to result from being bitten by
lice, bedbugs, or fleas. This kind of squirming effect is often due to the excrement of such pests. After a
person has been bitten, he will damage his skin by overscratching the itch, and then this illness with naturally
invade.
Prevention:
This illness is transmitted from lice or bedbugs. Therefore personal hygiene is extremely important. Both
clothing and bedding should be frequently changed and washed in order to keep away such pests. If you
happen to be traveling in a populous region, temporarily residing in hotels or inns, you should be especially
careful of all their bedding and should frequently check it for any bugs hiding in it. If you unfortunately get
bitten, scrub yourself with strong alcohol or have a hot-water bath. Be sure not to scratch yourself, thus
avoiding damaging your skin, which would get you infected by the toxins.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: SKIN DISEASES
Section One: Leprosy
Leprosy has been a horrible disease in our nation for several thousand years. It damages nerves, which
eliminate pain, but also leaves one devoid of joy for the rest of ones life. This disease is contagious and can
take three to five years to manifest. There is to this day no effective cure for it. If you happen to catch it, it is a
tragic thing, and so you should especially beware it.
Prevention:
Those in leprous areas must vigorously practice good hygiene to keep germs from having any way of
generating and spreading. An infected person will have contagious fluids on his body and in his mouth and
nose. Any clothing that contains bacteria should be boiled in water. If a patient is having regular and healthy
defecations, it will be beneficial for him to work and exercise. Food should be fresh. It is best to eat fresh fruits
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and vegetables. The condition can be gradually diminished.
Section Two: Measles
Measles is a contagious disease, very easily transmitted. The respiratory tract becomes congested and so one
may also catch a cold. The sufferers are usually children.
Treatment:
Victims should convalesce in peace in a well-aired warm room so as not to catch a cold. They should scrub
with and gargle boric acid. In order to maintain cleanliness every day, they should rinse with hot water. They
should be kept comfortable. Eating little food and drinking lots of water will be beneficial.
Section Three: Psoriasis
This illness is tenacious. After recovering from it, it will easily recur.
Treatment:
The most important thing is to stabilize the victims emotions. Ones mood and psychological state can
worsen the condition, and so he should have a quiet lifestyle. He should abandon all unnecessary projects and
all anxieties, concentrating only on getting plenty of sunshine, as well as taking hot baths and using hot
compresses, and be able to soften and eliminate trivial interests. Steam baths can be effective. If ringworms
are making red circles on his head, the most effective treatment is to apply the yoke of a boiled egg to the skin.
Section Four: Acne
Acne is excessive facial secretion due to the skin drying and changing its nature, its pores clogged and starting
to store away material, leading to an endocrine imbalance, the sexual moistures getting unevenly distributed
and hindering the digestive processes.
Treatment:
Wash your face every day with warm soapy water, eat few fatty foods, drink lots of water, and do not put
lotion on your face after shaving.
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Older people and small children rarely experience this. It is an ailment of adolescence. However many or few
have to deal with it, it generally takes two or three years to fade away, and can clear up after getting married.
But there are some for whom it can get worse with age, arising most of all on ones shoulders, back, and arms,
though the whole body can be troubled by it, sometimes producing thick swelling and pain. Some say this
ailment comes from an excess of estrogen. Others say it is a response to hormonal imbalance. Still others say it
is due to obstruction in the digestive organs. Whatever the case, one has to have a calm state of mind and
frequently wash ones face with soapy water to be able to mitigate it.
Section Five: Hong Kong Foot (or Athletes Foot)
Hong Kong foot (also called stinky foot disease) is a common skin disease for those who wear shoes in
summer. It gives rise to small blisters that produce pus, usually between toes and under the arches, appearing
as irregular spots. It is caused by wearing leather shoes or rubber shoes which often do not allow the feet to
breathe. It can also be transmitted through use of outdoor showers.
Treatment:
More often go barefoot or wear Japanese sandals rather than wearing rubber or leather shoes. If you wear
such shoes, it is better for them to have extra room for your toes, or that they have small holes in them, so as to
avoid constricting the toes. Nylon socks do not absorb sweat and yet they stimulate perspiration, and so they
should not be worn. Every day, perform a saltwater rinse and then dry the soles of your feet and between your
toes. After washing, and before the skin wrinkles, it is also effective toward prevention to use the method of
dredging the well to wash your feet. It is very useful to put talcum powder on your feet, but that also should
be wiped away afterward. Victims of athletes foot should eat lots of brown rice and wheat bran, which is very
effective against this condition. It is also good to wash your foot in water that has been used for boiling
turnips. If your condition also includes swelling, eat several meals of boiled soft-shelled turtle with garlic and
you will see results.
Section Six: Foods that Lead to Skin Diseases
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Whenever we see someone whose body has turned yellow but feels no pain, there are people who think it means
the illness of jaundice and then seek out medicine. After getting thoroughly checked over, it turns out nothing
is wrong. This illness is usually the result of eating too many carrots or tangerines, or too much pumpkin or
papaya, which gives rise to yellowing skin. Having eaten more than is necessary, these yellowing elements are
overflowing in the blood. The effect manifests most of all in the palms and the soles of the feet, resulting in this
disorder. If you turn yellow, do not get into a panic about it, just eat less of these foods and let the yellowing
slowly fade. (If you are worried about jaundice, it is effective to take five doses of 10 grams of powdered
cucumber stem in clean water, or you may use powdered cucumber seeds instead of the stem.)
And then there is mango, called the king of the tropics. But since it is in a toxic family of fruits, there are
some people who are allergic to it and for whom eating the fruit causes the area around the mouth and the
hands to break out in small itchy red blisters. For them the fruit is chemically the same as poisonous plants.
The toxic elements lie in the skin and the stem, and an allergic person can become ill from a mere touch. But
the fruit itself has no allergens, and so if someone without an allergy to it removes the skin, the fruit can then
be eaten without any harm.
Section Seven: Skin Ulcers
Skin ulcers are a kind of toxic bacteria that goes along with waste and which at the same time enters the fat
lining, soonafter passing through and deeply invading the tissues. The resulting pus is often produced around
hair follicles and nearby tissue is thereby often destroyed. When the pustule around the hair finally breaks
open, the pit that is left will gradually be filled in by regular tissue, but will leave a tiny mark. Sometimes due
to the spread of a virus, other hair follicles become infected. In this way, a cluster of sores is produced which
may spread in that area or over the whole body.
Treatment:
A hot compress wrapped in cloth can ease the pain. If you rub with a hot wet cloth, it will encourage the
sores to develop faster, and then if you cut them open, they will frequently heal quickly, and this too will ease
the pain. Frequently washing with soapy water or taking baths will encourage the skin to be smooth and
strong, keeping this ailment from arising.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: SEXUAL ILLNESSES
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[Warning: The somewhat neurotic fear of sex throughout this chapter may not be suitable for all audiences.]
Section One: Nocturnal Emissions
Nocturnal emissions are caused by emotional agitation, a stimulation during the day leading to fantasizing.
Longing for someone during the day, you will dream about that person during the night. When you awaken,
you realize you must have had a nocturnal emission, for you had not been masturbating. This condition mainly
occurs in men. For women, it is termed sex dreams. When a man sees sexiness, he gets excited and his penis
becomes erect. The mouth of his urethra then discharges some viscous fluid which is not semen but can
instead be termed prostate secretion. In the case of urinating or powerfully sneezing, viscous liquid emerges
and yet there seems to be no excitement manifesting, and certainly no semen. As for associated lower back
pain, it is emotional mischief, a bodily symptom with an emotional cause. Morning erections are caused by
stimulation due to pressure within the bladder from filling with urine.
The Different Kinds of Nocturnal Emissions:

1.
To have emission whether dreaming or not:

When a man reaches his pubescent years of age sixteen or seventeen, he must not associate with the
opposite sex. The fire of lust is then so strong that there is no way to dispel it, and so he commits inappropriate
abuses, inventing methods of masturbation. (Masturbation often appears because of instruction from bad
friends or emerges unintentionally from oneself.) Masturbation is the most harmful thing one can do to ones
body. This is because there is a specific channel for venting ones sexual passion, that being the sexual congress
between husband and wife, the harmonizing of the passive and active aspects, the natural way of the two
relieving each other. Masturbation is the active aspect alone with its passions and is no way to be releasing
semen. It is opposition to the natural principal of passive and active complementing each other, which has
always had harmful results. After a long time, the barrier will slacken when you enter sleep, whether you be
dreaming or not, and semen will ooze forth without your being aware of it. This is a nocturnal emission
whether dreaming or not dreaming.
2.
Nocturnal emissions caused by seeing sexual images:

To daily see beautiful women or obscene pictures, or look at pornographic magazines, it engraves upon the
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mind thoughts which linger at night. The penis will erect and semen will flow out. Or at night when thinking
about meeting and having sex with a lover, the penis will stick out and semen will flow out. After the emission,
you will awake. If this condition goes on for a long time without treatment, there will be emissions without
there even being dreams. There will be emissions even when one is exhausted. It may get to the point that you
will emit upon seeing a beautiful woman. If this condition daily worsens, then after a long time, your spirit will
be worn out, your eyes will look deeply sunken, you will have lower backache, you will be a sad sight to see, a
thoroughly pitiful specimen that every compassionate person would feel sorry for. Such are results of this
condition.
Prevention:
Some people say that when semen fills up, it will naturally flow out. Such a statement seems reasonable but
is actually untrue. After all, how does the body of a weak person have enough to produce nocturnal emissions? I
believe it is better to simply not have nocturnal emissions at all. Rather than mindlessly eating all day, to
engage in useful activities, such as reading beneficial books, regularly engaging in outdoor exercise, or
traveling, will utterly eradicate the minds instinctive fantasies and the body will naturally and gradually
become healthy and robust, dreams will daily reduce, and nocturnal emissions will reduce with them. There is
a common saying: When well-fed and warmly clothed, we think about sex. When starving and cold, we begin
to think like thieves. Repeatedly ponder these words.
Treatment:
Nocturnal emissions are in the category of emotional injury, an anxiety requiring psychological treatment,
with an emphasis on psychotherapy.
1.
Maintain disciplined thoughts:

There is a saying [Guwen Guanzhi (Unparalleled Classical Prose), part 10]: When we are moved by
things, we will waste our essence on them. You should not look at, talk about, or listen to improprietous
things. See women without looking at them. Regard beautiful women as snakes and scorpions. With this
broader perspective, naturally wicked thoughts will not arise.
2.
Do not let your penis touch things:

After sleeping on your back, you cannot control yourself. If your penis touches something, you will have an
erection, and this condition will thus easily occur. If you have this condition, it is best not to wear underwear
or sleep on your back. Instead get into the habit of sleeping on your side curled up like a dragon. You should
get married early. Then once you are married, you should engage in intercourse only moderately. This is a way
to recover without medical help.
For another effective method: when lying on your back, put a gallnut kernel in your navel, covered with
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something to keep it from falling out.

3.
Stick your feet out:
By sticking your feet out from your covers, you cool your feet. This will keep your internal fire from being too
vigorous and thus your libidinous condition will not manifest. In the evening, you should practice sitting
meditation.
4.
Be cautious at daybreak:
This condition often occurs at dawn while asleep. Make use of the methods above to daily recover day by
day.
Recuperation:
Avoid drinking strong tea, reduce excitement, and absolutely avoid drinking wine in order to prevent your
fire from flourishing. If you rarely look at obscene pictures, wicked thoughts will not arise. If you have
nocturnal emissions, masturbation will only make the problem worse. Also avoid spicy foods, which consume
your passive energy and help your fire to surge, and is thus of little use. Especially forbid yourself from being
angry. If you are becoming weak due to nocturnal emissions, the treatment is to take 10 grams of lotus seeds,
0.5 grams of cinnabar, pestle them into a powder together, and take with clean water. After several doses, you
will recover.
Section Two: Shedding Essence
Shedding of essence is when a bachelor runs to sex, frantic with lust, takes extreme delight in it, and
ejaculates so powerfully that he cannot make it stop. This is commonly called orgasmic shock [or shedding
maleness]. This condition is extremely dangerous. Because he has expelled too much semen, his vitality is
suddenly lost, he drips with cold sweat, his body weakens, and he might even die on top of the womans belly.
Treatment:
When a man sheds his essence, unable to stop ejaculating, the woman must not panic and force his penis
out. Instead in this critical moment, she should use a needle to poke the mans buttocks and cause him pain.
When the nerves receive this stimulation, his ejaculation will cease. If his penis were pulled out, his energy
would flow away and he would die. If a man has this condition, the woman should blow air into his mouth, and
if a woman has this condition, the man should blow into her mouth. If the mans breath is warm and he has
revived from the brink, but his mouth is firmly closed, you can put a thin bamboo tube into his throat and
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blow through from the other end. Do not be at all shy about this, but nor should you frighten him out of his
shell, for it may lead to an illicit-love homicide case in which your moral standing would plummet and you
would become infamous, and if you were to try to hide it away, it would only strengthen the case against you.
You must not overlook this.
Recuperation:
Abstain from sexual intercourse for three months to rebuild vitality, paying attention to nutrition in order
to recover it that much faster. You must not be undisciplined and dissolute at such a time, you should
maintain control. There is a saying: Pleasure must not be extreme, for extreme pleasure gives rise to sorrow.
Desire must not be unrestrained, for indulgence will lead to disaster. Engrave this in your mind.
Section Three: Premature Ejaculation
Premature ejaculation is when semen leaks out before intercourse has even started or has just started. As a
result of excessive masturbation over a long time, the semen escapes too easily. It is common among men who
have not yet had sex with a woman, for old men who have become weak, and for men who have sex too quickly
because they have no self-control. They then blame the woman, become filled with angst, then sink into regret
and depression. If it is fought against, the problem will only become much worse. It does not compare to
cultivating ones primal energy and waiting for the moment.
Recuperation:
1.
Avoid foods that are spicy, fried, or rich. Absolutely avoid masturbating and abstain from sex for a year,
causing your essence to be gradually restored and more firmly retained.
2.
Be mindful of keeping body and mind in good health. You must not be too impatient or enthusiastic, pushing
yourself obsessively. You should be deeply training your energy with internal exercises so that you can deal
with an assailant if you are attacked, but keep the training at a moderate level. The Song of Not Leaking:
In the midst of desire, be without desire.
Be one with the dirt, but do not be soiled by it.
You should move in and out slowly.
Be balanced in your releasing of either essence or saliva.
3.
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If you are a victim of this illness, the best advice is to get psychotherapy. Get up every morning at dawn, go
into some spacious surroundings, and do deep breathing exercises, or practicing Baduanjin or Taiji Boxing is
even better. At night, perform massage and fitness techniques to move the energy of your elixir field. The elixir
field is the acupoint for the kidneys. After practicing over a long period, the kidney energy will be strengthened.
Once your essence is sealed in firmly, you will naturally be free of the condition of premature ejaculation.
Treatment:
Earthworm and garlic pellets take twenty-two earthworms from chive soil, break them open, rinse well
with running water, add chive juice, pound the mixture, and form into pellets. Take in doses of 25 grams
swallowed down with heated wine, one dose per day. After a week, you can last for a long time without fatigue.
If your erections easily harden and easily soften, then when hard, you will experience premature ejaculation. If
you can keep yourself from becoming hard, apply Glaubers salt, working it in with both hands, then you will
not harden to the point of full erection and will avoid ejaculating prematurely. If desire causes you to have a
hard erection, apply strong liquor with light mud onto your pubic area. If you rashly get lost in passion
whenever you have an erection, this condition will be difficult to recover from. It would be better to have no
erection at all and instead rest calmly. When tuberculosis victims often have very hard erections and think that
much more about sex, they exhaust their sexual essence, drying up their purity in a fire of lust. The crazier the
fire, the more their passive energy is consumed. If this illness goes untreated, erections will always result in
premature ejaculations, kidney essence will run dry, the body will become gaunt in appearance, and the cheeks
will wither and redden. If the tuberculosis worsens, the problem will become dangerous. If you care about your
body and cherish your life, you should give this particular attention.
Note: On the subject of stranguria, see Section Five of Chapter Eleven.
Section Four: Impotence and Masturbation
Impotence is when the penis stays soft and does not rise. There is natural impotence, damage-induced
impotence, and fear-induced impotence, but for the most part, it comes from excessive masturbation. Having
too many ejaculations damages the penis, making it numb, paralyzed in a state of softness. When one is young
and masturbates too much or has too much sex as an adult, he becomes unable to perform under ordinary
circumstances, and whenever he sees a woman, he hates her beyond compare. Losing his joie de vivre, he plays
with himself in hopes of hardness, with the result that the opposite occurs, leading to infinite regret and a
silent unhappiness of self-blame and shame, a nervous breakdown involving thoughts of hating the act
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altogether.
Prevention:
Natural impotence is not easy to treat. To deal with the other kinds, avoid masturbation and intercourse.
Instead of having a mentality of resisting the problem, you should be calm and practice seated meditation,
having a quiet state of mind until semen is again abundant, cultivating your energy. Rub your testicles a
hundred times each, every morning and evening for three months, and you will have hard erections.
Treatment:
1.
Eat sparrow meat. Eating boiled sparrow meat in the winter can boost your active aspect, and sparrow eggs
work even better. Sparrows are the most wanton of birds, copulating a hundred times a day without
weakening. Its penis is particularly hard. If you are capable of eating ox penis, dog penis, or snake penis, they
are greatly beneficial.
2.
Use the tip of a worn-out writing brush:

Take a writing brush that is no longer good for writing characters and each day put 25 grams of it into
three bowls worth of clean water, then cook it until there is nothing left but the warm dregs of it. Take this
dose for three days and you will see results. This method channels the wrist strength developed from writing
characters over and over. It is especially good for treating fear-induced impotence. Many ancient Chinese
methods get reused because although their principles are beyond comprehension, their effectiveness cannot be
described in words. Such is the wonder of traditional Chinese medicine. In ancient times, there were effective
methods of rubbing the penis and massaging the testicles to promote erections. These must be complemented
with internal exercise. Use exercises to settle your energy, use energy to gather spirit, and use spirit to boost
essence. When your essence is abundant, your erections will be hard.
3.
Take a dose of 10 grams of powdered fire-dried silk moth every day. At the end of a month, you will feel
extraordinarily reinvigorated. Because the silk moth mates constantly from birth to death, it therefore
increases stamina during intercourse.
Masturbation:
This crime is easily committed by both men and women, generally out of a lack of common sense. They fail
to understand the natural function of the reproductive organs, resulting in reckless abandon. They do not
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understand how harmful it is and that it frequently results in moral degeneracy, having a strong influence on
the development of body and spirit. Therefore people who habitually commit this crime have to be given
detailed guidance. They should understand that sex between two people is a sacred act. How can it be
trivialized and abused, so arbitrarily spoiled just to satisfy ones debauched desire? Section One of this chapter
already addresses this issue and so it is not necessary to reiterate it here.
Section Five: The Sex Dreams of Women
When a woman sleeps and has dreams of having sex with men that cause her vulva to become wet with sexual
secretions, these are sex dreams. The male ailment of nocturnal emission has already been described. Below
are the types of female sex dreams and their treatments:
1. Depression and sex dreams:

A maiden or widow often loses her temper. Her liver has been injured, and so her spirit is not at ease. She
enters into dreams of sex with men and is unable to control herself. When she wakes, her vulva is wet with
sexual secretion, her body is fatigued, she has no thought for food or drink, she is taciturn and unhappy, and
appears distracted. For a long time her spirit will become increasingly wearied. Her face will sallow, her body
will become frail, and sometimes she will not want to keep living.
Treatment:
She should go on scenic tours to gladden her emotions, or engage in interesting exercise and activities to bring
contentment to her mind and regulate her anger, and thus her psyche will be daily eased.
Hang a piece of realgar against your vulva, commonly called evil ghost charm. This has proven to be very
effective. It is commonly said that realgar can keep away devils, but cannot actually exorcise them. Because
realgar evokes the energy of the penis and produces a heat, it can relieve irritability and dispel depression, and
is thus able to bring about results.
2. Unfocused thought and sex dreams:

A women who is lascivious while holding to the precepts of Li-ism [a tradition of ascetic self-restraint] is
unable to reach her goal, for her lust is a blazing fire and she is unable to hold it back. She thinks about sex
constantly. While she sleeps, she dreams of sex with men and is unable to control herself. When she wakes, her
vulva is wet with sexual secretion, her body is fatigued, and yet her desire is still more heated. Her sex dreams
become increasingly frequent. As she begins to appear emaciated, worn out, and more distracted, her ailment
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is becoming hazardous for her.
Treatment:
Be pure in mind and have few desires. Do not think wicked thoughts. In a state of anxiety about this
predicament, young women should hurry up and get married, and widows should remarry. This will bring the
passive and active [or in this case, male and female] energies back into harmony, and the ailment will naturally
disappear.
Additional treatments:
1.
Hot moisture and sex dreams:
Beyond the methods above, you must not drink alcohol or eat highly greasy foods. Avoid looking at obscene
images or listening to obscene music, and you especially must not watch pornographic films.
2.
Other methods for treating the vulva:

Use the method of your lifting your anus while inhaling, apply ice, boil and eat a two-pound soft-shelled
turtle, dab hot soup on the affected area with silk fabric, or pestle some fire-dried bone into a powder and
sprinkle it on the affected area. This is extraordinarily effective.
3.
Stranguria has already been discussed in Chapter Eleven, Section Four [Five], and so is not repeated here.
Conclusion:
A mans essence should be seen as a treasure. The more essence he has, the healthier he will be. The less
essence he has, the weaker he will be. He must not arbitrarily spoil himself by rashly wasting it. So many of the
youth of today are masturbating, carelessly using up their essence, masturbating simply for the pleasure of it,
and despoiling their very natures, abandoning themselves to dissipation, a great pity. [From the Book of
Documents, document 27:] Man is the most intelligent of animals. Nature makes use of our hands, wanting
our bodies to do great things. If we end up using our hands to harm or ruin ourselves, the result will be
countless illnesses one after another, and so we should stop ourselves before it is too late. From the endless sea
of suffering, we should turn our head toward the shore [of enlightenment]. Take heed and be careful.
Section Six: Preventing Sexual Illness
Those of you who are young should train your body and mind, studying diligently and preserving the health of
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your whole body, which is a great undertaking. Those of you who have not yet suffered from these illnesses,
beware of them before you take a wrong step. Those of you who have already slipped should mend your ways
without delay. Below are six methods of avoidance:
1. Food and Drink:

Food and drink should be mild so that sexual desire will be reduced. By avoiding alcohol and eating large
amounts of meat, you will keep from boosting your animal vigor and an overly strong desire for sex.
2. Constant work means constant exercise just as diligent study means serious scholarship:
Lust diminishes the self and laziness corrupts the personality. A common saying goes: When well-fed and
warmly clothed, we think about sex. Another goes: Countless types of illness come from a lazy lifestyle.
Therefore in the prime of life, one should devote ones attention to ones profession. Our hard work exercises us
and keeps our minds from being distracted.
3. Proper recreations:
Mountain climbing, swimming, reading newspapers, studying literature, music, chess, calligraphy, and
painting are all activities which can mold your temperament and express your ambitions, and can also keep
you away from perverse paths. Apart from having a proper profession, proper work to do, you should also seek
to have properly beneficial diversions.
4. Education:
The main essential that determines everything is education. If you receive a good education, study hard,
adhere to proper etiquette, keep to correct thinking, stay dignified in your aspirations, and maintain good
habits, you will naturally keep wicked thoughts at bay.
5. Admonishments which are to come from teachers and parents:

Teach men and women that marriage is the proper course and that without it they can slip into depravity.
Advise them not to read pornographic literature, look at pornographic images, watch pornographic films, or
listen to obscene songs, and especially warn them about the risk of diseases that can come from brothels.
6. Do not be seduced:
Do your best to avoid brothels, prostitutes, promiscuous women, and idle loafing playboys. Preserve your
honor. Do not be tempted by jezebels nor lured by gigolos.
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CHAPTER NINETEEN: RESCUE IN LIFE OR DEATH SITUATIONS
Section One: Emergency Treatment in Matters of Life or Death
Different kinds of suffocation can by divided into drowning, hanging or strangling, being overwhelmed by
fumes, and being choked with smoke. Even though the cause may be different, in all of these cases it is a
matter of air being unable to get through to the lungs, therefore the treatment in each case is almost the same.
Artificial respiration is still considered effective among the ancient repertory of techniques. Yet although
blowing air into a persons lungs is effective, it is seen as merely a matter of blowing air from mouth to mouth.
There are people who think that kissing someone at deaths door is filthy, but such a trivial consideration
should be disregarded when saving someones life.
To perform artificial respiration, turn the victim on his back, bringing him down to lie flat on the ground.
The rescuer squats down beside him to give aid, with one hand lifting his lower jaw and opening his mouth,
the other hand squeezing his nose, and quickly blows air into his mouth. This will cause his lungs to expand.
Once his lungs have expanded fully, stop blowing in air. His lungs will then shrink on their own. Repeat this
process over and over for up to twenty minutes or until he is revived. Someone recently designed a rubber tube,
one end going into the victims throat, the other end being blown through by the rescuer. This is more hygienic
than mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The different situations are described below:
1. Method of rescuing someone from drowning:

Lift him out of the water, force his mouth open, bracing it open with a stick placed sideways in his mouth,
to make the water flow out. Use a bamboo tube to blow into his ears. Put him on the back of an ox, belly
downward, and support him with a hand as you make the ox walk slowly. In the absence of an ox, you can also
lie the victim down and sway him, or put a round barrel under his belly and roll him back and forth along it.
Then press on his back, and the water will naturally flow out from his mouth, and there will also be expression
of urine and feces. If you are out of breath, get someone to perform artificial respiration for you. Then pour
raw ginger juice into the victim and also wipe his teeth with it. If it happens in winter, remove his clothes to
have them dried, apply heated salt to his belly, then smear his body in warm ash, and he will soon recover.
Warm ash can absorb water. This is demonstrated by the fact that drowned flies can quickly revive when
buried in ash. If the victim happens to laugh, he must quickly cover his nose and mouth. There should also be
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no embers still burning in the ash that is applied. The rescuer has to understand this.
2. Method of rescuing someone from hanging:

If someone has hanged himself, you absolutely must not immediately loosen the cord [as that would only
cause him to fall], instead urgently use your knee or thigh to brace the person between the legs a hanging
men from behind, a hanging woman from the front. Then cover his nose and mouth with a towel and slowly let
him down, while another person clutches at his hair to keep his head from falling. Rub his throat, massage his
chest, and knead at his belly, while the other person rubs his hands and feet, slowly moving his limbs. Use a
bamboo tube to blow into his ears and do not stop talking to him. Then prick a chickens comb and drip its
blood into his nose left nostril for men, right nostril for women, roosters blood for men, hens blood for
women. Then perform artificial respiration and he will immediately begin breathing out from his mouth, and
then give him some ginger soup to moisten his throat. If you use this method of rescue and his breathing
ceases, alternately blow on and rub the warm area below his solar plexus many times, and he is sure to recover.
A common saying goes: The hanging didnt kill him. It was being taken down that killed him. This describes
a rescuer who is eager to save someone but does not understand the techniques of how to do it.
1. Method of rescuing someone from being overwhelmed by fumes:

For a person who has been overwhelmed by coal gas or flowery perfumes and is on the edge of death, revive
him by moving him to be facing into the wind to flush out his nose and mouth, and quickly apply the juice
from a pulped turnip over and over. After he awakens, give him some sugar-sweetened water, and he is sure to
recover.
1. Method of rescuing someone from smoke inhalation:

This situation is very serious. Use of strong liquor is much better than opium. If a person has swallowed
matches, quickly pour in soybean milk. In the absence of soybean milk, a gypsum solution will be equally
effective.
These emergency techniques are the correct and convenient methods. These methods should be carefully read
and studied. Make sure your family members and neighbors thoroughly understand them. If you encounter a
dangerous situation, what should you do or not do before seeking out a doctor? When you understand all of
these methods, every situation will be under your control. By keeping calm, you can reduce the fear and panic
of victims and others around you. By these means, you will surely be able to prevent coma and quicken revival.
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Section Two: Sunstroke
When in sweltering summer heat, unbearable mugginess, and among the mosquitoes and flies, eating is no fun
and sleep is spoiled, emotions turn nasty and the mind gets confused, and then there is no enjoyment in the
workplace, one easily makes mistakes on the job, and the stuffiness causes dizziness and fainting. When vapors
rise like ghosts, it is easy to become angry with other people, or for ones sex drive to be revved up, and the
bodies of agitated people become more agitated still. Unless you heighten your vigilance, you will become
controlled by the summer heat. There is a saying: With calmness comes coolness. To be calm is to keep a cool
head. To be agreeable to situations no matter what, you should maintain a cool calm. For a strategy of dealing
with the summer heat, here is a happy-go-lucky poem from Bai Juyi [Melting Away the Heat]:
[How to get rid of vexing summer heat
and be at ease within my courtyard?
There are no extra things before me
and a fresh breeze at the window.]
Heat disperses because of my peace of mind
and cool air is born in this empty room.
Now my body is content.
Though it remains a nuisance to be among other people.
Relief from summer heat is the greatest skill.
Sunstroke is when exposure to the suns ultraviolet rays is too intense for the cranial nerves to bear. If
someone becomes irritable and demented, then slips into unconsciousness or faints away unable to fight
against it, quickly put him in a place where the air is pleasantly cool or indoors, loosen his clothes, slightly lift
his head, give him cold water to drink, rub his whole body with cold water, rub his head with a cold cloth, then
give him an enema with about a pound of salt solution, for it is important to increase the bodys liquid content.
A sunstruck person is not willing to be exposed to strong sunlight. If his mind is racing, he is out of breath,
or his body is weak, it will usually cause him to collapse in a faint. Then his face will redden, his skin will be
burning hot, his pulse will be very fast, his breathing will be rapid, and he will lose consciousness altogether. If
there is no one to rescue him, his situation is extremely dangerous. Use as much cold water as you can get, use
an ice pack as a pillow, and rub him down constantly with cotton dipped in alcohol. After he resumes
consciousness, he can be given cold drinks or hold ice cubes in his mouth. Wrap his head with a cold cloth. You
must not overstimulate him.
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Emergency treatment for protracted sunstroke:

You should move into a shaded place with fresh air to keep his temperature down. If he is perspiring
excessively, give him some lukewarm tea or salt solution to drink down. With quiet rest and lots of nourishing
food, he will recover.
Section Three: Emergency Treatment after Taking Poisoning
A person takes poison usually with the shortsighted idea of committing suicide, but sometimes a person gets
poisoned simply from carelessly taking the wrong medicine. Regardless of poisoning being motivated by
suicide or happening due to taking the wrong medicine, the faster treatment is given, the better. You should
quickly seek to be able to restore life to the person. Maintain your composure and act fast to get the filth out of
him. You must stay calm and not panic. It is best to get him to vomit out all the poison.
It is relatively easy to save a poisoned person if you are able to know he has eaten something poisonous.
Regardless of what poison he has taken, first use a large quantity of clean warm or cold water, or iced beer, or
other liquids, and pour them down into his belly, at least six or seven glasses full, which starts by diluting the
poison. Then you may use some baking soda, a small quantity of potassium permanganate, table salt, or even
soap powder, not to wash his guts, but to make him vomit. These things are in every household.
Force the victim to drink large quantities of water. Once he can drink no more, put your hand to the back of
his tongue and induce him to vomit, vomiting out all the water he has drank. After he has finished vomiting,
again make him drink a large quantity of water in order to vomit again in the same way. Go through this two
or three times. If he is able to speak, it generally means he will recover.
1.
When a child is poisoned through taking the wrong medicine, you can make him drink a large cup of cows
milk. After he has finished drinking all of it, put a finger in his mouth and press on the root of his tongue to
make him vomit. Or wash out his guts by making him drink large quantities of water. If he is having difficulty
breathing, you must give him artificial respiration, which can also be performed by several people in turns,
until he can breathe again of his own accord.
2.
For swallowing a dose of kerosene: You should give the person an emetic, as explained above. That will do the
trick. (Turnip juice is best.)
3.
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For someone has eaten rotten food, he must swallow lime water and a gruel of cows milk and egg whites, and
he will then recover.
4.
For someone who has swallowed down overly alkaline liquids, you should pour vinegar or lemon juice into him.
Whatever the poison, if some of it makes contact with the skin, wash the whole area with soapy water. Induce
vomiting or flush his guts as is appropriate. Cows milk with egg whites can be used as an emetic. If he is
breathing rapidly, apply artificial respiration. Be sure not to shout and make noise. It is most important to
make him comfortable. Give attention to these methods of prevention:
1. Do not keep poisons in the same place as ordinary medicines. Generally a household keeps medicines in
reserve. But over time, medicines can go bad. Be sure not to hold on to or use medicines that have passed their
time. You will thereby avoid getting poisoned.
2. Be sure not to put poisons (such as rat poison) in an obvious place so that children can get their hands on
them.
3. Poisons have to be specially labeled so it is easy to distinguish them and to keep from eating poisons by
mistake. Especially avoid storing them in dark places where you may feel around for what you seek and grab
the wrong medicine by mistake.
4. Medicines have to be specially labeled. If the name on a label has faded away, you should never make a guess
as to what it is and take a dose.
5. Colorings often contain poisonous substances. Candies and toys are colored. Generally, anything artificial
uses such colorings, and they more or less all contain toxins. Prohibit children from eating or licking them in
order to prevent poisoning.
Section Four: Stroke
With the onset of a stroke, there is a sudden headache or burning dizziness, the face turns pale, the breathing
becomes irregular, the lips pull back, the cheeks swell, the limbs go numb, and there is nausea. If there is then
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a cerebral hemorrhage, one immediately loses willpower. Secondary symptoms include: one eye closed while
the other is open, the face functioning on only one side, stiff limbs with half the body nonresponsive, speech
difficulties or inability to make words, and gradual descent into coma. A stroke is most likely caused by high
blood pressure or hardened arteries, mostly affecting older people, usually above the ages of forty or fifty.
Prevention:
If your blood pressure is too high, you should avoid having agitated emotions, should not take part in
boisterous social occasions, find a way to lose some weight, and get at least eight hours of sleep every night.
Emergency response:
You should gently turn the stroke victim on his back, place his head and shoulders onto a tall pillow, and
loosen the clothing around his neck and chest. Do not tell him to move, for stillness will keep blood vessels from
rupturing.
If a stroke jumps right into a coma, his breathing will appear to slacken or his breath will be all pushed out,
and he will need immediate first aid:
Raise his head and shoulders so he is lying comfortably, and keep his body warm. On his head apply a cold
compress, clear his rectum with an enema, and move his hands and feet. This will help him regain
consciousness more quickly. Then give him some egg whites mixed with sesame oil and he will recover.
Section Five: Electric Shock
When electricity enters, it must exit. A household runs on a hundred and ten volts of alternating current.
Contact with it can be fatal. The shocked area gets burned, sometimes causing blood vessels to get cooked and
made to hemorrhage without leaving a mark. Upon contact with high voltage, it transmits through your
central nervous system and you will fall down unconscious, nerve centers paralyzed, respiration halted, and you
may die.
Treatment:
If someone gets knocked down by an electric shock, you should not immediately reach out your hand to drag
him away, instead first use a bamboo or wooden stick to push away any exposed wiring. If you are inside the
house, quickly unplug the device or flick off the circuit breaker switch to disconnect the current. Then you can
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touch the shocked person. Immediately apply artificial respiration. It may take several hours for the person to
revive from this, so wait until they have become a stiff corpse before giving up hope and ceasing to attempt
emergency resuscitation.
Section Six: Drowning
For a victim of drowning, put a pillow or some bedding under his belly, draw out his tongue so his throat will
be clear and nothing will obstruct his breathing, and with his face aligned to one side, forcefully press on his
back to make the water come out. Wait until the water has finished coming out, then apply artificial
respiration to urge him back to consciousness. Whether someone has drowned, suffocated, received an electric
shock, been overwhelmed by some kind of fumes, or whatever other cause, these all require the response of
artificial respiration, which should be implemented quickly.
If the person still cannot breathe on his own, quickly inspect his chest, or gently turn his body over to be
facing down and forcefully press the area between his shoulders with your palms, then shake him to clear any
foreign object that might be in his throat [although it would probably be a good idea to check if there is an
object lodged in his throat before you start blowing air into him which would only lodge it deeper]. Once he
has revived, you should not let him (or her) get up, instead move him to a place with fresh air, make him lie
down on a warm and soft mattress, and rub his body and limbs until he has completely recovered. You may
refer to emergency techniques that have already been described in previous sections.
Section Seven: Concussions and Anemic Fainting Spells
This is a sudden damaging jolt to the brain. Within twenty-four hours, this kind of shock can lead to coma. If
the persons hands and feet are paralyzed, and his pupils are unevenly dilated, it is only a temporary state, but
if there is no one around to rescue him, it will be difficult for him to regain consciousness and he may even die.
Emergency treatment:
Quickly lie him on his back so he is looking up at the sky, head slightly tilted upward. Apply cold water to
his head, hot water to his limbs. It is an excellent thing to give him salted water to drink. The method of
mixing it is very simple: mix together a teaspoon of table salt, a half tablespoon of soda, and a teaspoon of ice
water. Drinking this is very effective. After he wakes, give him lots of longan soup to eat.
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In a fainting spell due to anemia, one temporarily loses consciousness. The reason for his strength suddenly
weakening is a lack of blood in his brain. It often happens due to a sudden fright. When his strength weakens,
if he is not given emergency care, his situation will become more perilous.
Get him to lie down on his back with his head lower than his body to help the blood return to his brain.
Apply cold water to his face and wipe his lips with a cold wet cloth. He should not get crowded around with
many people, so as to keep the air from getting stifled. Once he moves his hands and feet, and then finally
revives, you can give him warm water to drink. Still he must be given quiet and rest until he completely
recovers. After he recovers, attention should be paid to his nutrition.
CHAPTER TWENTY: FIRST AID FOR EXTERNAL INJURIES
Section One: Burns
If someone has been burned, you can spread clean ointment on the injured area. Usually some vaseline hair gel
with baking soda mixed in will work when applied to the injured area. If after the gel is applied the pain is still
severe, have him lie down so his head is lower than his heart and dispel the warmth of his lower body by
removing his clothing to give the injured area more room and comfort. (If his clothes do not have an opening,
you may use scissors.) Take a washcloth soaked in water and wrap the site with it, then wrap over it with
something dry such as a cotton material.
Later apply some warm baking soda solution to moisten the site. Or apply cool white flour paste to the site.
Or pour out a bowl of live earthworms onto the site. Or use some powdered sugar mixed with water applied to
the site with a chicken feather, which will immediately relieve the pain and miraculously heal the injury after
three days. If using cooked dry medicines, they are to be eaten with a half and half solution of vinegar and
water. Have him drink plenty of water and convalesce restfully. It is best to be on a nourishing liquid diet.
For a minor burn, running some tap water over the injured area will reduce pain. If the skin is blistered, you
can apply vaseline or mineralized oil, then cover the site with sterilized cotton or a gauze bandage to prevent
any infection forming. Frequently apply salted water to help eliminate the fluid from within the blisters.
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Section Two: Scaldings
If someone has been scalded by hot soup, first loosen his clothes, stay calm, and do not rub the area entirely
dry. Do not let him in a confused panic sip at any hot tea or coffee. If the injured area is intensely painful, you
can soak it in cold water from a basin. It is best to add a little bit of baking soda to the water. You must not use
water that is not clean. If freckles are produced, you can rub at the site with cod-liver oil. Vaseline, lard, or
vegetable oil will work equally well. Other types, such as kerosene or tung-tree oil must not be used.
If there are blisters, rub the affected area with boric acid, chilled face cream, or cold water. Smaller blisters
should not be poked at. Larger blisters can be cut open at the root to release their fluid, which can be gently
pressed out. His skin should not be diminished. Wait instead for it to naturally peel away. In the case of using
boiled medicines, they are to be eaten with a half and half mix of vinegar and water. Have him drink plenty of
water and convalesce restfully. It is best to be on a nourishing liquid diet. The principles for treating scaldings
are almost the same as for treating burns.
Section Three: Dog Bite
When a person has been bitten by a dog or some other animal, deal with the wounded area by first washing it
clean with soapy water and rinsing it with running water. This gets rid of the saliva of the animal. If an animal
is rabid, the rabies virus can be transmitted to the human body. After washing, use a clean knife to gash the
area and cause it to bleed, then wrap it with sterile bandages. Tying it with a clean handkerchief will also do,
as will spreading sugar on the wound.
If he is bitten out in the countryside rather than in a city, get him out of the wind and forcefully squeeze out
blood, then use your own urine to clean the entire area of the wound. If you happen to find some fresh cow
dung, smearing that all over the wound would be even better. Or if you can get an unripe grapefruit, pressing
its skin to the wound is also good. Or you may burn some old bamboo chopsticks, pestle the ashes into a
powder, and mixed them into some sesame oil, which will bring recovery.
Medicinal prescription for a bite from a rabid dog:
Take black and white nuggets of realgar, 10 grams each, plus 15 grams of shengjun, pestled together into a
powder, then add 200 grams of brown sugar, mixed well into some cold water, and then have him take the
whole dose. It will have a rapid effect.
Section Four: Snake Bite
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If someone is bitten by a snake, the skin will bruise or swell. Immediately have him lie down and calm himself
in order to cause the blood to reduce its spreading of the venom. Use a handkerchief or necktie to tightly bind
up the discolored area to reduce the potency of the venom. Then take a sharp knife, sterilize it with fire, and
cut open the bite site. Suck the blood, then spit it out. If there is swelling, it is useful to wipe the wound with
some gasoline, or if there is someone smoking a long-stemmed pipe, smearing on some of the tobacco tar
would be better still. Or if you have him drink water through the pipe, it can negate some of the poison within
him. Or take five Nanjing worms, smash them into mush, and smear it onto the wound. The best medicine is
to drink rice wine mixed with bedbugs. Or cut off the head of a white chicken and drip its blood onto the
wound, which can help him recover easily.
Prevention:
Umbrella snakes often sleep on beds. In the morning, they sometimes sleep among peoples shoes or find
coolness in bathtubs or shower rooms. For those who live in mountain forests amid snake-infested areas where
there is no electric lighting at night, if you walk around either indoors or outdoors, carry a flashlight and a
small stick with you. If you plant loquats or sweet-scented osmanthus outside your home, snakes will not dare
enter. The excrement of geese also prevents the encroachment of snakes. If you surround your home with it,
snakes will keep their distance and not dare to enter.
Snake meat is edible and extremely nutritious. The eyes of poisonous snakes are medicinal for human eyes, as
are the gallbladders. The blood of poisonous snakes is even more nourishing. The reproductive organs of snakes
are a hormonal medicine. Eating the lower half of a snake roasted on a spit can boost libido. Roasted snake
meat pestled into a powder can be taken as a medicine to treat burning cough or tracheitis.
Section Five: Cuts, Scratches, and Abrasions
People who labor a lot are bound at some point to have these kinds of minor injuries. When a cut occurs,
quickly wash the entire area thoroughly under running water, then dry the site with sterilized cotton, and bind
it up. If you have iodine or some other antiseptic, to apply a little of that is even better. Never ignore these
small injuries. If dirt enters a cut, there is often a danger of tetanus. Where there is no clean water in areas of
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the countryside or in mountainous areas, people use their own saliva to clean their cuts. They first suck at the
wound, causing blood to come out, then lick the whole area around the wound clean, then wrap it with a
relatively clean cloth in order to avoid risk of infection. Saliva can disinfect a cut like a kind of penicillin, able
to kill about seventy-five percent of the bacteria. Using saliva to clean a cut is not the most hygienic way, but as
first aid when there is nothing else, it is the thing to do.
Section Six: Sprains
When a person moves mindlessly, such as getting up too vigorously after lying down, standing too suddenly
after sitting, or when picking things up, or suddenly turning around, he may feel a discomfort in his waist or
neck that leads to pain. These are cases of people who do not exercise regularly moving with slackened muscles
and no coordination of consciousness, resulting in the sinews and bones losing their harmony and the muscles
getting twisted. If someone received this kind of injury, promptly elevate his injured part into a comfortable
position and put an ice pack or chilled towel on the affected area, which can reduce pain and swelling. Then
slowly move the injured joint and gently massage to promote bloodflow. Rubbing in a little bit of alcohol would
make it even better. Trivial sprains will heal quickly.
Section Seven: Animal and Insect Bites
If someone carelessly happens to get bit by an animal, you should wash the injured area under the faucet,
rinsing away the animals saliva, then wash the area with soap. Wipe it with medicine and cover the area with
a clean cloth. If he has been bitten by a rabid dog, after washing the site, quickly suck out the animals
infecting saliva, tightly wrap the area, and urgently seek out a doctor.
For insect bites, rinse the area clean with tap water, then vigorously rub it with soapy water, and then apply
a paste of baking soda and water. After it has dried, brush it off and again wash with soapy water. Take a cloth
soaked in cold water, wring it out, and use it to cover the area. This will reduce both the pain and swelling,
encouraging faster healing.
Section Eight: Wasp or Bee Stings
If someone gets stung by a bee, wasp, or yellow jacket, pry the stinger out with a sterile needle if there is one,
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pour cold water all around the site to reduce pain, or put an ice pack on the site, and have him relax while the
venom gets absorbed. If he has received many stings and the sensation is too intense, the pain too much to
bear, then quickly soaking the sites in cold water or soda can reduce the pain. In the case of a bee sting, it is
very effective to apply a mix of brown sugar with pounded cooked rice.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: FOOD
Section One: Food Poisoning
Food poisoning is usually a matter of germs in unclean food entering the body, sometimes in conjunction with
eating inappropriate foods or with eating too much. There are some fish, crabs, or raw plants which often
contain harmful toxins. Eating them by mistake results in poisoning. Furthermore, leftover foods that have
been ignored too long, becoming moldy and stinking, can when mixed up among other foods result in
poisoning.
Usually after two or three hours, or perhaps four or five hours, these effects will manifest: diarrhea,
sweating, fever, the mouth and face will become pale. The effects may continue for up to two or three days, and
may even go so far as to result in death. Although the substances will have been eliminated after several days,
the limbs will lack strength, the appetite will be greatly decreased, the abdomen will not feel comfortable, and
the stomach will have been damaged.
Whenever I have heard of a village farmer who contracted a deadly food poisoning after stuffing himself
with seafood or wild plants, commonsense was rather meager. What about the commonsense of people in
bounteous cities? An instance of food poisoning occurred at a huge banquet in a large restaurant. After greatly
feasting, some people had vomiting and diarrhea while others in the gathering complained noisily of a
problem. On all of these occasions, I heard that samples of the food were taken for chemical analysis which
resulted in generally the same conclusion: that this is an issue deserving attention and that those who have a
vigorous appetite should be that much more mindful.
Treatment:
If you realize you have become a victim to food poisoning, quickly eat lots of very salty things and drink lots
of clean water. Do not eat more of the food! Salt can disinfect the toxins, while water can dilute and disperse
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them. This treatment can make an ill person recover sooner. Once poisoned, the symptoms are: face turns pale,
there is sweating, limbs feel cold, there is vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, the feces may contain pus,
and you will experience suffering. At some point you will discover something yummy and devour it ravenously,
bringing harm to your belly, grief to your spirit, and receive misery. You must never treat your life so jestingly.
Although the classical medicine texts say it can be cured after twenty-four hours, there is still damage that has
been done to the digestive organs.
Prevention:
1. Foods that are not fresh should not be eaten. Leftover foods that have been sitting around for a long time
should not be eaten simply because of guilt over wasting them. If you are not sure about meats and vegetables,
then do not recklessly eat them. Foods that counter each other should not be eaten together. Whenever you go
out to eat or drink, pay special attention. Do not greedily eat excessive amounts of delicious food. At every
evening feast is a glutton who does not eat throughout the day so that he can then stuff himself at the
appointed time. You must not possess this behavior, for excessive fullness is sure to make you ill.
2. Modern fertilizer and pesticides all contain toxic substances. If applying fertilizer by hand, you should be
careful. Whatever you may eat, you must first wash your hands, otherwise you will swallow down some
contamination and greatly put yourself at risk. Apples always have a coating of toxic preservative on their
skins. When eating an apple, paring away its skin or washing it well will make it safe to eat. Never give marketbought apples to children to eat. There is too much of a risk of poisoning. You must not be careless.
Section Two: Food and Nutrition
People eat and live, and if they do not eat, they die. If the food is not appropriate, if food is eaten without
discrimination, or food is eaten to excess, these things can cause illness. Therefore food should be nutritious
rather than simply delicious or copious. Human food always has to go through a process of transformation (i.e.
digestion) in order for nutrients to be sent through the blood to the bodys various tissues, supplying them with
their requirements. The waste product that is left over from digestion is then collected into the excretory
organs to be drained away. Just like the charred remnants of fuel in a mechanical furnace, the waste product
of your processed fuel has to get eliminated. There are three goals when eating food:
1. To supply fuel, providing the body with strength as well as generating heat to maintain the bodys
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temperature.
2. To supply material for continuous reconstruction inside the body.
3. To supply various enzymes to regulate assimilation of foods.
Although food can provide heat and function, you should be cautious when selecting raw foods, seeking clean
items and avoided dirty germ-ridden ones. For the most part, food is fine once it has been cooked, for these
reasons: 1. Cooking food can kill germs, thus making it safer than raw foods. 2. Cooking food makes it easier to
digest. 3. Cooking food makes it more flavorful.
Section Three: The Digestion of Food
Food and drink are best when simple. If there is too much variety to your food, there will be too much
complexity in their ingredients, they will not be complementing each other, and they will always end up
hindering digestion. For ordinary foods in the stomach to be digested takes about three or four hours.
Therefore between meals, you ought to give your stomach a rest. If you have not finished digesting, but you
keep on adding more helpings of food, you will only wreck the functioning of your stomach. This is indeed the
greatest error in eating and drinking. Therefore the three daily meals should have fixed times, and the foods at
supper should be easily digestible or should be of a small variety.
When you are tired, you must not eat a lot, and after eating should not immediately engage in strenuous
exercise. If after a meal you can rest for half an hour, it is appropriate to then begin some exercise.
Appropriate exercise will be of great benefit to the digesting of food, by way of gently wriggling the intestines.
Whenever you finish a meal, you should not have an uncomfortable feeling. Ideally you should feel hungry
again four or five hours later. Hence an ancient thinker said: Stop before becoming full. Eat only after
becoming hungry. This is also a secret to cultivating health.
Section Four: Swallowing Foreign Objects
If it is something round and smooth, such as a copper coin or a gold ring, it can often down unimpeded. If you
swallow something with sharp edges, you then will have a big problem.
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Swallowing large quantities of something that has been mashed, such as potatoes or sweet potatoes, can
help the object travel properly through the intestines. Such a remedy has already been described in Section
Four of Chapter Eleven and so does not need to be repeated here.
Section Five: Foods Entering the Nose
For foods entering the nose, you can use a finger to push down on the side of the opposite nostril, and then
blowing out forcefully can dislodge the object. Or you can use some soft material to lightly tickle the membrane
inside the nose, stimulating a sneeze to dislodge the object. If some external object has become packed deeply
into the back of a nostril, then push down on the side of the opposite nostril and forcefully inhale. This can
usually cause the object to fall into your mouth and can then be spat out. Various remedies for nasal ailments
have already been described in Section Four of Chapter Eleven.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE PROS AND CONS OF A FEW FOODS
Section One: Garlics Ability to Prevent Illness
Northerners in China all love to eat green onions and garlic, steamed buns soaked in garlic, thin pancakes
wrapped around green onions. These make an excellent meal, delicious to eat, but it turns out nowadays that
they are actually not that nutritious. They may be very simple recipes, though they are really just enough to
keep up your strength, and is that really enough? Though the onions and garlic may boost vitality. Recently,
scientists have been considering their vitamin content and germ-fighting effectiveness.
They are unusually easy to absorb. If you have pinworms in your belly, an enema with garlic and cows milk
will be very effective. If you have ringworms on your scalp, a garlic rub is more potent than other medicines.
Garlic has the effect of boosting appetite, is astonishingly powerful at fighting germs, can add vitamins and
prevent fatigue, and can also prevent muscle ache. Therefore garlic is of tremendous value in preventing illness
and protecting health. The curative effects of foods have already been explained in previous chapters.
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Section Two: Chinese Turnip
The Chinese turnip is sweet and tasty. One of the vegetables used daily within households, it is not only cheap
and delicious, it also greatly benefits the fluids on ones heart and other organs, treats the spitting up of blood
that comes from weak lungs, breaks up phlegm, and produces calm. People only know it as a meal addition and
are not aware of it as an effective medicine. It has a good effect upon ones liver and bile. It is also a good
medicine for preventing skin disease. Because it can boost metabolism, it should often be eaten, and it is better
to eat than other tonics. It detoxifies and it treats the misery that comes from inhaling coal fumes. When
boiled in a soup, it treats athletes foot. When pounded down, the juice is excellent for applying to burns.
Section Three: Seaweed
Seaweed is high in vitamins, as well as calcium, iron, sodium, and especially iodine. Japanese make a tea out of
it. Frequently eating kelp can prevent early greying and balding, it can dispel fever, weakness, and stiffness,
and it can treat tumors or scrofula. It also promotes comfortable sleep. Its greatest effect is that it can treat
goiter (swelling of the neck), and it is also beneficial for asthma and tracheitis.
The three foods above are just examples. The rest of the curative foods are too numerous to describe in full.
You may refer to Chapter Twelve.
Section Four: Tobacco
Cigarettes, alcohol, and tea are common human addictions, and are the most widespread. The amount of
money spent on them every year is difficult to estimate. As to the harmfulness of each, opinions differ, but
common knowledge impresses upon us that smoking is more harmful than beneficial, and is addictive. With
the first puff, a person feels it to have a bitter and acrid taste, and coughs. If you inhale smoke often enough,
this sensation will decrease and you will then become addicted. The tobacco plant contains nicotine, which is a
toxic substance. One drop of nicotine can kill a mouse.
When a person inhales this poison, it can irritate the blood vessels, easily causing them to be overstimulated
in their function, and consequently can lead to low blood pressure. It can also irritate the trachea, sometimes
causing a dry cough. If you are inflicted with this dry cough, you should stand up for yourself, and quit!
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Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and can even aid the developing of stomach cancer. Therefore
cigarettes are very harmful and not very beneficial. They are also a waste of money. Ideally you should not use
cigarettes at all. It is really not that difficult to quit smoking, it is just a matter of willpower. Once you have
quit completely, you will no longer be risking the dangers that come with them.
Section Five: Wine
Wine is a mixture of alcohol, flavorings, and water. The part of it that influences the human body is the
alcohol. Alcohol can stimulate the stomach membrane, quickening absorption. That is why after drinking two
cups of it, we feel our faces blush. The rest of it goes along with food into the intestines, and the blood then
sends alcohol to each part of the body. If your stomach is empty, it is easy to become drunk. Drinking after a
meal, the effect will be lessened. Once a person has become drunk, the greatest effect is upon the brain. It can
cause one to lose ones self-control, become overexcited, even a small amount will produce a strong increase in
sexual desire, and one will easily make indiscreet remarks. Drinking excessively can be poisonous. It can
potentially produce severe headaches or cirrhosis of the liver.
In addition to losing your judgment, excessive drinking will cause you to lose your dignity, reduce your
moral sensibilities, and be rendered incapable of tasks you could perform prior to drinking. For some
drunkards, after three cups their basic nature will arise, and after drinking excessively, they will turn into
savages. If they then continue to drink, they will lose control and there is no telling what they might do. It is
easy for them to lose all restraint and make fools of themselves. If in front of close friends or family, they will
not lose too much face. But if they are in a public place, making a spectacle of themselves for all to behold, they
will utterly disgrace themselves. Are they not aware when sober how to behave in public?
There are also those for whom it is a sleeping draft, who drift off upon drunkenness setting in, so much so
that they may not wake for several days. Compared to the drunks who are continuously shouting and cursing,
they are somewhat preferable. But still, why bother anyway?
Some people are of the opinion that drinking wine is one of the life arts. This kind of art is not to be taken
seriously. One may participate on special occasions, for instance partaking of a small quantity while at a casual
dinner among close friends. As long as you stop before going too far, it is acceptable. As for seeing wine as your
destiny, or forming a habit of drinking heavily, spending the whole day in a drunken stupor that delays every
important task, or becoming riotously obnoxious, these things should be carefully avoided.
Section Six: Tea
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Chinese people pay a great deal of attention to tea, making it into a high-class beverage. Tea is used in the
receiving of guests, looked upon as a form of politeness. Beyond quenching thirst, it also can stimulate the
heart, increase blood circulation, and is used as a diuretic, flushing out toxic substances, and thus it can
detoxify.
The warmth of tea can aid your recovery from illness and quickly return you to a normal state of comfort,
and so it can be described as a dose of good medicine. It also contains a certain amount of vitamins, can make
you feel energized, can refresh you when tired, and can enhance muscular function. For these reasons, old
people should drink it. However, if you drink too much of it, it will chill your lower abdomen [lower warmer].
[Tea is described here in rather glowing terms. The categorizing as an addiction to beware of is in its
overuse, particular in Asians cultures. Drinking tea is wise, but drinking it in massive quantities is foolish. It is
important to be aware that all teas, except herbal teas, are caffeinated. A typical cup of black tea has about
half the caffeine of a cup of coffee, and green tea usually about half the caffeine of black tea. If you are in the
habit of drinking two dozen cups of otherwise healthy green tea throughout your day, you are basically
drinking half a dozen cups of coffee every day. Yin does not discuss the caffeine element but does point out the
effect on the lower abdomen. In addition to adversely affecting the nervous system, excessive caffeine wearies
the organs of the lower abdomen, particularly the kidneys. When our kidneys are worn out, we indeed
experience a kind of chill in that area.]
The three addictions above are best next engaged in at all. If you do engage in them, be able to control yourself
so as to keep them at an appropriate level.
If you treat smoking as a meal, swallowing smoke and emitting fog until your lips become like burned
incense and your hands are stained yellow, it will be especially incompatible with health.
If you are every day grasping a wine bottle and residing in a drunken stupor, not only will this get in the way
of important tasks, it will also bring you disgrace.
As for addiction to regular consumption of tea, although it is not greatly harmful, it is also not the most
beneficial thing.
In difficult times, as in war, we seek simple things in life. But these particular things are unnecessary, more
harmful to the body than beneficial. I advise you to rarely smoke and drink, and to curb these addictions
altogether is best. Methods of curbing these addictions are below:
Curbing your use of tobacco:

You should embrace determination. Rarely go near people who are smoking and avoid places that have a
cigarette smell. After a meal, gargle silver nitrate solution (in a measure of 50 grams), which causes a person to
feel disgusted by cigarette smoke, to not desire it when it is inhaled, and can pacify irritation in the throat.
When you feel withdrawal, you can chew on gentian root. Take a hot bath three times a week, making you
perspire to release the tobacco element you have accumulated in your body. Drink as much clean water as you
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can, get plenty of exercise, and do not let your mind become idle. You will thus naturally be able to quit.
Curbing your use of wine:

Drink lots of laxatives. Take hot baths to make you perspire (while applying cold water to your head) or
perhaps have a cloth-wrapped hot compress applied to your back, both being methods to cause perspiring and
help drain it away. Or you may rub your body with cold water. In eating and drinking you should avoid all
stimulants. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Maintain a mentality of resolution and do not be lured back to
alcohol. If you go back and forth between avoiding it and using it, you will only make it harder to break the
habit completely.
Curbing your use of tea:

Between the pros and cons of tea, it is best to drink it thinly steeped and just a few cups. You should not
drink too much of it, as it would bring a chill to your lower abdomen. It would be better to simply drink clean
water anyway.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: THE BODYS BUILD
Section One: Fat or Thin
A person who is too fat is not good-looking, has difficulty moving, is also easily at risk for high blood pressure,
as well as swelling of the bladder or gallbladder. However, a person who is too thin is also displeasing to the
eye. It is best to have the right balance between fat and skinny.
A fat person is not necessarily at risk for high blood pressure. Boxing master Wang Shujin is a fat man. He
is over fifty years old, his height is 56, and he weighs 265 pounds. That he is fat is obvious, yet he is not only
without illness, his movement is also nimble, and this is simply because he practices Taiji Boxing and has
internal skill. Although his body is fat, he is also healthy. He has recently received an invitation to teach
martial arts in Tokyo. Thin people without illness who have spirit are also capable. For fat people who desire to
lose weight or thin people who desire to gain weight, here are some methods:
1.
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To lose weight:
You do not need to endure the pains of hunger, merely restrict your consumption of foods high in
carbohydrates. By being perseverant and strategizing, your appetite can be naturally reduced. Each day, have
your three meals and plenty of clean water, but reduce your intake of salted meats and seasonings, as well as
pickled meats and salted products. Of fruits, eat only pomelos, turnips, watermelon, bananas, and peaches,
avoiding the rest. With each meal, drink tea or unsweetened coffee. For the most part, engage in suitable
exercise. For the rest, be mindful of what you eat and drink. You will thus naturally be able to lose weight. To
do more exercise and more work will increasingly consume your strength, and you have to plan out your
nutrition to make up the deficit yet not have food end up getting stored in your body.
2.
To gain weight:
There is a common saying: A broad mind goes with a plump body. There is much truth in this, so long as
one does not abuse the concept. One can eat, drink, get lots of sleep, and one will naturally gain weight. If you
want to gain weight quickly, you should eat more fatty foods, such as mutton stew, large black soybeans, round
jujubes, and frequently drinking beer, but only as far as your appetite will allow these things. Do not overthink
and engage often in light exercise, then you will after a month see the desired result.
If you are fat without illness, being somewhat fat is harmless. If you are thin and have spirit, there is equally
little to worry about in being thin. Whatever shape you naturally have, it is not necessary to have anxiety about
it.
Section Two: On Being Too Short
Some are born to be short and some become that way while developing due to malnutrition. There is currently
still no effective method of making a short person tall, nor of shortening of overly tall person. To force the body
to shorten would injure the body. Height is usually congenital. If you are congenitally short, it will be difficult
to stretch you any further. If you are developmentally short, it can be remedied within the first thirteen years.
First you should give attention to exercising appropriately. According to the principles of exercise and
stretching, if you work at stretching every day, cartilage will harden, then regenerate, then harden lengthened,
and then bone structure will naturally be extended. If you suspend with both hands from horizontal bars, or if
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you hang by your chin and let your arms correspondingly hang down, it will have a pronounced effect on the
growth of your body. Reaching out with climbing movements is also very beneficial.
The next thing to pay attention to is the nutritional quality of your diet, eating many eggs, fish, greens and
other vegetables, which contain high levels of calcium carbonate.
Exercise should be consistent, optimistic, and meaningful. If you are always able to implement the advice
above, surely your body will be lengthened and fit.
But shortness is a fundamentally trivial defect. It does not diminish ones moral qualities. Shorter people
often have a higher intelligence and wisdom, taking advantage of their other strong points and working hard in
their pursuits. In developing a moral sense, there is inner beauty, which is superior to outward beauty and is
the secret to success. It is always of more lasting value than external beauty. In ancient times, the prime
minister of the kingdom of Qi, Yan Ying, was very short. The most outstanding American president, Lincoln,
was born very ugly. They both did great things. How many tall handsome men can compare to them?
Being short is not something you need to worry about. People do not worry about physiological
shortcomings as much as psychological defects. They do not worry so much about physiological health, more
about psychological health. Our nations great ancient historian, Zuo Qiuming, and Americas great modern
educator, Helen Keller, were both blind, yet they made brilliant contributions to mankind in the fields of
history and education that were in no way inferior to the achievements of people with sight. Therefore I say:
Dont fret about your height, just your lack of rising to the challenge.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: NERVOUS DISORDERS
Section One: Nervous Disorders Caused by Your State of Mind
Emotional agitation is the source of countless illnesses. When a person who sinks into a pit of vexation, who
has a strong temperament of being often worried or anxious, is then placed in a difficult predicament, anger
builds on top of anxiety, and the muscles become tensed and trembling. If this kind of trembling tension goes
on for a long time, it will easily become nervous illness brought about by state of mind, commonly involving
headaches, high blood pressure, and pounding heartbeats, leading to insomnia. If an ox or a dog or a car
suddenly appears, he will break into a cold sweat and gasp with an inability to breathe easily. His heart will
pound, his eyes will widen, his blood vessels will be constricted, and he will feel dizzy. This is extremely
dangerous. When a person who has such a condition and is in denial about it, honest examination does not
take place and illness emerges. This is nervous disorder brought about by state of mind.
Prevention:
1.
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Maintain a calm state of mind with settled emotions. Cultivating good habits often causes mood to lighten.
2.
Do work that interests you, and when it gives rise to any agitation or frustration, take a rest. Avoid stimulating
foods. Often eat fruits and vegetables.
3.
You should not obsess over bodily illnesses and you should especially not engage in the worries of the man from
Qi [referring to Liezi, chapter 1 a man who was so worried about the possibility of natural disasters
occurring that he could not sleep or eat]. Delight in association with other people and express interest in them.
A solitary attitude is of the greatest harm to the body.
4.
When a situation cannot be changed, either figure out a way to live with it as it is or step away from it for a
while. Otherwise you will worry about it all day and become annoyed, only increasing nervous disorder. For
this reason, there is a state hospital in America in which they use recitation of poetry to treat nervous
disorders, and this has obtained good results. By focusing the mind on interpreting phrases, there is little
mental leisure left for obsessing over illness, and gradually illness is naturally mitigated. You might as well give
the reciting of elegant and lofty poetry a try, for there is no harm in it, only benefit.
5.
Constantly get in the habit of talking in a humorous and cheerful way. Frequently praising other people makes
them happy and gives you happiness too. Happiness is your own responsibility. Happiness you find yourself is
better than happiness given to you by other people. Happiness that is given to you by other people can be taken
back, whereas happiness you find yourself is a permanent part of your heart. Therefore health experts
encourage that individuals should each day sweat once and laugh three times. A face that does not know how
to smile is like a bud that does not bloom, causing the rest of the plant to become lifeless. Thus a melancholy
state of mind easily produces many illnesses.
6.
Hesitation is inferior to decisiveness. As you mull over a situation, the more you think about it, the more you
get stuck [the classical phrase here being drill into the oxs horn], and this causes you to become so confused
that you render yourself not only unable to solve a problem, but also increasing your own capacity for illness.
With an open mind, darkness changes to become light. With a pure heart, ugliness transforms into beauty.
7.
You should divert your nervous attention by changing your environment. Climb tall mountains to look at grand
scenery or go to the ocean to observe the horizon, comforting yourself by broadening your mind.
8.
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Song Dynasty philosopher Zhu Xi wrote: The wide ocean admits the leaping of fish. The empty sky admits the
flight of birds. Your clothes flap atop a mile-high ridge. Your feet are washed in a thousand-mile flow. The
moon climbs high into the sky. The wind blows along the surface of the water. Pearls hidden away in the
depths have a natural luster. Jade hidden away in the mountains has a natural splendor. There is breadth of
spirit in deeply savoring simple things.
Above are many methods of diverting your state of mind. If you can put them into practice with steadfast
determination, then you can prevent the approach of mental and nervous disorders.
Section Two: Mental Disorders
Mental disorders are usually the result of being unable to adapt to or control your circumstances, defeat taking
shape in the form perhaps of failure in your undertakings or loss of your property, or you may suffer tarnishing
of reputation or difficulties in romance. Human affairs build up complex emotions. If we unable to find a way
to settle them, we get thrown into illusion, confusion, worry, regret, or unease. A lot of irritation or depression
in the mind will result in insomnia, and you will feel each day like you have reached a dead end.
Mental disorders have the same symptoms as nervous disorders, sometimes exhibiting strange or eccentric
behavior, sometimes seeming as though there is no problem at all. Victims of mental disorders do not
themselves recognize that they have a disorder, and even when their moods are abnormal, they are not aware
of it. Mental disorders sometimes exhibit delirium, sometimes heart palpitations, sometimes whole-bodied
shaking, sadness or fearfulness, melancholy or worry, feeling stupid, meeting tasks with indifference or
dissatisfaction. For these kinds of illness, there are no medicines that can be effective. The most essential
means of recovery from mental disorders is psychotherapy.
Attention must be given to being in the right profession, for work can reduce all doubts and cursings. There
are two kinds of suffering in the world: ceaseless toil and constant idleness. In the case of the former, you can
obtain your requirements, but in the case of the latter, not only will you gain nothing, you will also lose what
you have. The misery of toil can be alleviated by taking a rest from it or by completing a project. For the misery
of idleness, there is no medicine that can treat it and you can only exhort the person to go do some work. Being
in the right job is a good medicine for treating illness and you might as well give it a try. This is why Tao Kan
of the Jin Dynasty moved bricks [from his study to his courtyard and back again every day] and Zeng
Wenzheng walked three thousand paces after a meal, both of them fearing illness resulting from idleness.
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Section Three: Manic Depression
Manic Depression is commonly called lunacy. Mania with depression is a kind of illness that manifests as two
aspects. When in a deranged state, there is disheveled hair, a dirty face, a babbling mouth, crazy laughter,
hitting and cursing others, ripping of ones own clothes, neither eating nor sleeping these are all depictions of
the manic state. When in the reverse state of depression, one becomes suicidal and emotionally numb, always
slipping into boredom and gloom, with knitted brows, shineless eyes, and sluggish thoughts. There is a
constant timidity and loss of self-confidence. Everything that happens to him seems to have no flavor and he
only feels like dying.
As for the two aspects of this illness: When he slips into the manic state, his thoughts are random, his mind
distracted. He looks upon human life as something trivial and pointless, wishing in vain that his fantasy world
would never end. During the depression phase, he condemns himself, looks down upon life, sighs endlessly, and
as his mind is empty, it is difficult to predict his actions.
This illness cannot be treated only with medicine. He must be met with a calm mind and appropriate
nursing. Generally he will improve after three months and can be restored to normal after six months.
Treatment:
1.
[During the manic phase,] pay attention to his eating and excreting. Use psychology to understand him and
physiology to calm him. Do not make his mind more agitated. Get him to gently use up his energy. Do not
cause him to become self-destructive or harmful towards other people. Once unimportant things have induced
him to rant and rail, then go along with his mindset and indirectly guide him toward being cheerful.
2.
During the depression phase, try out other psychological methods of giving him support. At the same time, get
him to be around friends and get him out into better surroundings so he can frequently be in touch with the
things that are most important. It can also be curative to give him mild tasks.
Section Four: Epilepsy
When an epileptic attack occurs, the victim loses consciousness and falls down, his limbs and jaw twitch, and
he froths at the mouth. He might also bite his own tongue, defecate, or slip into a coma.
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Treatment:
Quickly support the victim to keep him from injuring his head, loosen his buttons, and put a cork or wood
chip between his teeth to keep his tongue from being bitten. If he does not awaken, you can let him rest, but
you must cover him to keep him warm. After he awakens, give attention to his excreting and eating. He must
not drink alcohol or smoke. He should eat and drink in moderation, should eat easily digestible foods, lots of
fruits and vegetables, and drink lots of water. When his defecations are regular and smooth, attacks will be
rare. An emergency technique: put some cabbage leaves in his mouth and he will immediately regain
consciousness.
Section Five: Shivering
Shivering is when the muscles of the whole body contract. At the beginning of illness, there is first a weariness,
then a shivering hits the body, starting as an abnormal chill in the hands and feet, which then spreads through
the whole body and produces shivering.
Treatment:
Quickly make use of a hot-water bath to soak his feet or wrap his body in wet cloths. Have him lie in bed
and rest, cover him with many blankets, put a hot-water bag under his feet, and have him drink hot water with
brown sugar and ginger. These things will help his body warm up and perspire, discharging waste material
from within his body. His sickness can thus be lightened or he may recover altogether.
Section Six: Hypochondria
An individual human life is complicated. We eat and drink many kinds of things. If eating and drinking are
irregular, the body will feel uncomfortable, life will be unbalanced, and the mind will not be at ease. That is
why some people get so impetuous whenever they encounter a complex situation. They feel incapable of dealing
with it, easily get angry, and often worry so much that their minds lose their grip on reality and their
imaginations run away with them. At first dejected, they then become distrustful. From their psychological
state comes a physiological reaction. They get insomnia and have a nervous breakdown, symptoms manifesting
such as dizziness and a pressure in the brain.
From that point on, they overreact to small issues, suspecting they are ill, fearful that serious illness is on
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the way and that they cannot live long. It should be understood that the human metabolism aligns with the
seasons, and that we naturally adapt physiologically in response to the weather. If we happen to feel unwell, we
do not need to be alarmed so long as in body and mind we are behaving normally every day, living according to
standards, and are performing our activities in a balanced way.
If you keep your conscience clear and are indifferent to success or failure, then what is there to worry about
and where will illness come from? A common saying goes: In your behavior toward others, as long as you have
not done anything you will regret, it is not necessary to go so far as to fear ghosts will come calling you to
justice in the middle of the night. It is also said: The fear of death is where ghosts come from. And I say: A
worried mind is often ill. Fools bring trouble upon themselves. I hope you will ponder these words over and
over.
Section Seven: Unidentified Pains
About unidentified pains, a famous Dr. Price said: Do not put all your confidence in the wonders of medical
science and then take risks. You should understand that a great many illnesses, including heart disease,
neurasthenia, and others, still do not have any medicines that can thoroughly cure them.
Unidentified pains are difficult to treat with medicines. In its regular state, the human body will only
produce pains when they are generated by emotional stress, such as headaches, heart pains, stomachaches,
facial neuralgia, muscle aches, limb pains, or eye pains. Every kind of sudden onset of pain is for the most part
due to accumulation of unreasonable irritations. When your emotions are agitated or you are overly anxious,
pains will be generated. If you have received more than your fair share of insult, forced to endure injustice and
bad treatment, been excessively aggravated, of if you have accumulated either hate or melancholy for too long
a time, it will lead your muscles to tighten and your digestion to slow down, interfering with both your breath
and your blood circulation.
If this kind of tension cannot be eliminated, an unstable situation for mind and body will continue until
your whole body gets worn out, resulting in insomnia and madness that runs the gamut of emotions from
jealousy to hatred to grief to arrogance and so on. Then on some occasion of elation, you will start to weep, or
on some occasion of excitement, you will feel disgusted with it. The result is unidentified pains as described
above. What medicine would be able to treat such an affliction?
Treatment:
Open your mind to self treatment. Do not worry at all about excesses that have already passed. Cultivate
body and mind, above and below, with some kind of training. First try methods of loosening psychological
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restrictions, then your body will relax along with the transformation of your mind, and these unidentified
pains will fly away far from you. Engage in outdoor exercise or take walks, practice fitness techniques on the
bed, or exercises to build up the body and maintain health, or practice a Taiji Boxing set, all of which can
harmonize breath and blood, forming strength.
Section Eight: Insomnia
There are a great many causes of insomnia, both external and internal. Whatever the causes may be, they all
come down to overstimulation of the brain cells. When a person wants to sleep, there are three factors: quiet,
darkness, and warmth. With these three things at the right level, it is easy to fall asleep. Sounds, bright light,
cold, heat, and odors are all things that stimulate body and mind, having an influence on sleep by keeping the
mind from becoming quiet. Externally caused insomnia is when you are agitated or fatigued due to external
stimulations. As for worry, anxiety, fear, delusion, melancholy, depression, pessimism, nervous breakdown, and
so on when these things rush through the brain incessantly, it is even more impossible to sleep. The more
agitated your mind, the more excited your nerves, and you will be anxious all night long.
Long periods of insomnia bring the most awful suffering and often spark suicide. Frequent use of sleeping
pills can become toxic and also diminishes their effectiveness anyway, giving a false sense of sleep, and it is not
known how many people this troubles. A person who has a slight experience of insomnia or sometimes gets
insufficient sleep will start to have a fearful mind that has an influence on him the whole day. It should be
understood that sleep duration is different for each person and thus we cannot say that it is wrong to get less
than eight hours. Though not quite enough, it is harmless, and you should not worry about it being a problem.
Deep dreamless sleep makes it easiest to recover from fatigue. Such a state can be arrived at about an hour
before midnight, but will be most successful two hours after midnight.
Treatment:
Due to the psychological causes of insomnia, you should strive to take situations philosophically, stay calm,
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and at the same time give attention to improving your lifestyle. For dinner, you should not drink tea or coffee,
or eat irritating foods. You should get to bed early and not feel anxious about anything. Use your mind hardly
at all, not reflecting on the days mishaps, and certainly not dwelling on them. While lying in bed, the air in
your bedroom should be free-flowing, maintain the appropriate level of darkness, and do not have noise going
on in your room. Improve the state of your bedroom to make it more comfortable. Stack your pillows slightly
higher to keep blood from pouring so much into your brain.
Your dinner should not be too heavy or too late. Drinking down a soup of boiled tangerine leaves with some
brown sugar added will also dispel insomnia, though avoid using any irritating foods. You should not look at
pornographic materials or read stimulating books or periodicals. You should not strain your mind with
thinking about difficult problems. You should also not fear that you are about to have a bout of insomnia,
instead maintain an attitude of indifference to it.
At dusk, you can do some light exercise or take a walk. Before sleeping, have a hot bath or do some light
massaging of your skin to draw blood to your bodys surface, which will help you enter sleep. Sleep is a natural
physiological phenomenon and you should fall asleep sooner or later. Sleeping pills cannot be used all the time
because they will become ineffective over a long period, as well as build up into a toxicity. To cover your head
with a moist towel, close your eyes in meditation, and silently count up to a hundred can also be helpful.
If you really cannot enter into sleep, you can sit up and wrap yourself in a blanket, hugging your pillow, calm
your energy, close your eyes, and silently chant I want to sleep in your mind to hypnotize yourself into
sleeping. Your head and upper body will naturally start to slowly sway like a round-bottomed doll. Allow
yourself to naturally topple and be sent to sleep. Whatever the posture, it will be easier to sleep as long as it is
natural. For example, when a baby cries, quickly put him in his cradle and he will stop crying, and then after
rocking his cradle for a long time, he will go to sleep. Or when riding a train, it is easier to sleep when it starts
moving then when it stops. These methods are based on basic principles.
Section Nine: Neuralgia
Agitated nerves can cause pain, In the case of facial neuralgia, there is a great deal of suffering. Whenever this
illness manifests, there are spasms. The cause of it is illness in the nerves of the head or filth that has
accumulated in the mind from protracted worry or an angry temperament. The mind is thus not open and
energy does not run smooth. There is a psychological influence on the body, leading to the rise of neuralgic
spasming.
Treatment:
If there is a bad tooth or any sickness in the mouth, that should be treated first. Also pay attention to proper
eating and drinking, and sufficient fresh air. Good hygiene and a philosophical approach to life will cause the
victims health to improve. When this illness occurs, you can apply either hot water or a hot-water bag. For this
kind of illness, medicine should not be administered in case a dependence on it gets developed.
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If you seek to make progress in body and mind, there is nothing better than to have a quiet contentment in the
mind, always seeing a bigger picture, and do charitable deeds. By feeling sympathy and helping others, you are
sure to obtain better health for yourself. If you enjoy helping people, you will be that much happier yourself. It
is a panacea for ridding illness. People should seek inner cheer rather than external thrills. The things that
made Confucius happy were all internal. If you seek for things that are external, you will instead have a
frustrating life. There is a saying that goes: One who is understanding is always content. One who can endure
is naturally calm. This is very meaningful. It is also said: By being selfless, you will have a cheerful mood. By
not grasping for things, you will naturally be content.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: MINOR ISSUES
Section One: Sleep Issues
People between the ages of eighteen and fifty sleep eight hours every night, depending on the person. When
sleep is inadequate, and there is no time in the day to catch up, you can refresh yourself by taking off your hat
and shoes and doing some stretching. Babies sleep two thirds of a day, adults only one third. Six year olds sleep
for eleven hours, fifteen year olds for nine hours, twenty year olds for eight hours, sixty year olds for seven
hours. There are sometimes exceptions and old people may sleep even longer. People who get little sleep can
add naps throughout the day. Sleep is related to psychology, for instance some people are sure to sleep heavily
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after drinking tea or coffee in the evening, whereas others feel the addition of drinking tea or coffee makes it
difficult to get to sleep.
If you are having a lot of nightmares, they arise because of excessive emotional stimulation which
sometimes causes your body to be correspondingly agitated, the pulse through your organs increasing while
you are breathing. Lying flat on your back is the major cause of dreaming. It is best to be curled up lying on
your side. (The method of meditating while lying down has already been explained in Chapter Six.) There is a
simple method of preventing yourself from lying on your back during sleep: you can place something like a
small rubber ball or a hairbrush behind you, and so you will not be able to sleep unless you sleep on your side.
After a long time, you will be able to naturally. Do not worry if you suffer from insomnia or occasionally sleep
for only one or two hours. You will feel only a little uncomfortable the next day and there will be no other
harms. You can also take naps throughout the day to compensate.
By brushing aside fears of insomnia, you will cultivate a sleep habit that will gradually become normal.
Overthinking or being overexcited often makes it difficult for people to sleep. Sleep is a rest for the brain, and
for the senses of seeing, hearing, touching. After sleeping, your body has been rejuvenated, not only due to the
reversing influence of sleep, but also because it gives your muscles abundant rest. If a nights sleep does not
refresh your body, then when you wake up, your neck will surely feel sore, or your limbs will feel stiff, aching,
and weak.
Old people are less active than young people. They sleep less than young people, but they must take many
naps throughout the day to compensate for it. I have heard that Napoleon only got three hours of sleep a night.
It was not that he was extra nourished or unusually strong or a magic man, he was simply taking naps during
the day to make up for the sleep he missed during the night, what is termed a sleeping-rooster sense.
A persons cranial nerves are easily fatigued. If you work too long or wear yourself out dealing with your
tasks, your brain will promptly hit you with feelings of drowsiness. If you are weary in body and mind, then
when drowsiness comes, you will struggle against it, opening your drowsy eyes wide, forcing yourself to
function. But this is just like ignoring a red light and dangerously crossing at an intersection, tempting an
accident. High blood pressure and gastric ulcers begin because of this. Therefore when you are drowsy, except
for special circumstances, as long as you are not snoring mightily or are in inappropriate surroundings, you
may harmlessly have some temporary sweet dreams. Not only will you then be a person who enjoys long life
and happiness, you will wake up with the world-conquering vigor of a Napoleon.
Amidst the lifestyle of our complex modern world, there are burdened people who have decided their sleep
schedule cannot be shifted at all, which seems unrealistic. If you can make use of a brief moment of leisure,
grab some sleep when it is called for. Within the methods of health maintenance, it is the simplest and
cheapest that are the best. Sleep can be considered the trump card of health techniques.
Section Two: Sleep and Heart Attack
Sleep can produce occasions of agitation. People generally assume that sleep at night will not produce heart
attack. It should be understood that grinding of teeth or talking in ones sleep are manifestations of agitation
during sleep, and that the body in a state of rest does not always indicate calmness of mind. Dreams are
hidden thoughts. The disappointments or dissatisfactions you face are sometimes expressed in dreams.
Therefore you should lie down on your side with your knees bent, because the five organs are like chimes,
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which would not produce sound unless they are hanging. If you are able to talk in your sleep, how can your
spirit be quiet?
Section Three: Snoring and Twitching Eyelids
Snoring is caused by the nasal passages being plugged up. If you do not have other illnesses, it can be
corrected. One of the main causes is lying flat on your back, and this is because it makes the base of your
tongue droop backward.
Place a hard object or perhaps a hairbrush behind the person who snores in order to keep him from lying on
his back. Another method is to tie his pillow to his neck in the proper position. Snoring happens to both men
and women, although women snore less and quieter than men. However, regardless of whether it is of a high or
low pitch, no one finds it to be a pleasant or welcome sound. To a group of sleepy people, the sound is slightly
annoying. But to people with insomnia, it is very irritating. And to a couple of newlyweds, it is even more
irreconcilable.
Twitching eyelids:
In the past, people were very superstitious, and they considered twitching of the eyelids to be an omen of
good or bad fortune. The twitching of the left eye meant wealth and the twitching of the right eye meant
suffering. In other words, when your left eye twitches, you will get rich and be extraordinarily happy, and when
your right eye twitches, you may struggle against or be beaten by someone. People took this so seriously that
on some days they would not leave their homes and dwell in fear and overcaution. This can be considered a
kind of absurd superstition.
It should be understood that the twitching of eyes is an ordinary kind of physiological phenomenon. If
people overuse their eyes, look at things in overly strong light, or get insufficient sleep, this can lead to the
eyelids becoming fatigued, cause the muscles of the eyeballs to shrink, or cause twitching of the eyelids.
However, when the eyelids twitch, it can mean you have other problems. Beyond using your eyes excessively, if
the preventative methods for problems with the eyes that have been previously explained can be followed, then
twitching of the eyelids can be avoided.
Section Four: Sleepwalking
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Sleepwalking is a mysterious condition. There is no medicine or medical treatment for it. One can walk or
perform some actions while deep asleep without the slightest knowledge of it. It is genuinely incredible. It is
said to be intuitive reactions to the stimulations of a passionate subconscious which are not passed through
the cerebrum and are instead sent directly to the motor functions. It generally starts in childhood in order to
occur in adults.
When sleepwalking begins, it starts from dreaming, which then becomes noisier, then the arms move and
the body rises up, then the body leaves the bed and begins to walk. While sleepwalking, although the eyes are
open, there is no sense of vision, nor is there any sense of touch or hearing. If you call to the person or talk to
the person, he has no awareness of it, and yet he can think, perform calculations, draw, and can even
contemplate suicide. He will not be able to wake up until he returns to normal sleep.
In England there was a sleepwalker who killed his wife and cut her up into pieces, in London another who
grabbed his son and threw him down from a wall. While sleepwalking, you may forcefully attack someone,
perceiving only some masked visage calling out or vaguely responding to you. There is no medicine able to cure
this ailment.
Treatment:
It should be given attention while one is still a child. Between the ages of ten and twenty, it is easiest to treat
with psychotherapy. Do not give children anxiety over poor schoolwork. They should not be receiving
punishment from teachers or admonishment from parents. They should have no worries about getting laughed
at for having no money to burn or nice clothes to wear, or getting insulted for growing up ugly or small in
stature. If these things can be grabbed and cast aside, a child will be able to sleep content.
Adults who sleepwalk will often have a little more awareness of it. They should pay attention to emotional
stability, foster sanguine thoughts, be more tolerant of trivial issues rather than making a big deal out of them,
and gradually they will naturally be cured. Generally, children who sleepwalk are likely to snap out of it upon
getting married. This is because once they settle into the lifestyle of having a household of their own, it results
in psychological stability.
Section Five: Sneezing
Sneezing does not necessarily mean you are catching a cold. It can occur due to smelling strong odors, or
because you are tired or worried. If your nose is running in the middle of the night, it still does not mean you
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have caught a cold, simply that your nose has become unwell. Sneezing is not a serious ailment, yet you should
avert it, and to do this you ought to reduce the amount of dust and airborne pollens in your home. Stay away
from strong perfumes and keep the air in your home from becoming too dry. A saltwater nasal rinse will clear
your nose.
Section Six: Stuttering
This is a habit developed from childhood of an overeagerness to speak which makes it impossible for words to
come out, taking the form of stuttering. There are no medicines that can treat it. For an analogy, if you take a
small-mouthed bottle full of water and decide to pour out the water, the water will not pour out smoothly if you
hold the bottle straight upside-down, but will flow out smoothly if you hold the bottle at a slight angle. Speech
is the same. Before speaking, first compose your thoughts. Do not be anxious to speak, but instead speak slowly
and clearly, and then naturally you will not stutter. If you practice this for merely a couple of weeks, you will
then be able to speak quickly without any occurrence of stuttering.
Section Seven: The Benefits of Coughing
On coughing:
The function of coughing is to send secretions within the lungs and windpipe outside the body, at the same
time preventing foreign objects from entering the respiratory tract. Safeguarding respiratory function is a
benefit.
Everyone thinks of coughing as a symptom of illness. People usually do not know that coughing is the bodys
weapon of defending against and treating illness. It is not at all as everyone thinks it is a definite indicator of
more harm than good. For patients lying abed in hospitals, there are a great many doctors encouraging them
to cough. For a light cough, you should never thoughtlessly take medicine.
Using the method of breathing in steam can have an immediate impact on the mucous membrane of the
windpipe, very effective for reducing phlegm. Insert a rubber tube plugged with gauze into the spout of a pot of
boiling water and use your mouth to suck the steam from the tube. This can aid in eliminating infected
respiratory mucus.
Section Eight: Hiccuping
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Hiccuping does not amount to any kind of serious illness, but when it happens for a long period, it hinders
both eating and sleeping, and in that case becomes a dangerous problem. Hiccuping sometimes happens due
to eating too much and too quickly. It can also happen from drinking liquids that are too hot or too cold, or
being overstimulated by overseasoned foods, as well as inhaling cold air, excessive smoking, or from
inflammation in the throat from catching a cold.
1.
Methods to relieve hiccuping:

Poke the stem of a chicken feather up the persons nose to make him sneeze. Or take him by surprise by
poking him in his back or his butt with a nail, the shock of which will snap him out of it. When an infant
hiccups during breastfeeding, put some sweetened water on his tongue. All of these methods can work.
2.
Method of fighting fire with fire [the Chinese phrase actually being attacking poison with poison]:
When hiccuping is caused by overeating, eating a little bit more can ironically overcome it. Also effective is
to slowly swallow ten mouthfuls of tea, drink a cup of salty water, drink a little bit of vinegar, drink a cup of
clean water, or perhaps some cows milk.
3.
Method of submission to the breath:
Take seven or eight deep breaths, then hold your breath for a minute. Deeply breathing into a bag is also
effective.
4.
Stick your tongue out as far as you can and hold it there for a moment with your arms raised up and hanging
over a shoulder pole. Or shut your eyes and press on your eyelids with both hands while standing up straight
and turning your body around for several circles. Or make a telephone call to a friend and tell him to at some
point suddenly shout out your name so you have to respond. All of these things are effective. The most
interesting way is to put a cup of clean water on a table, stretched your arms out to the sides, reach out with
neck, grab the cup with your mouth, and drink down all the water. This can also do the trick.
Section Nine: Splinters and Fish Bones
1. While women are at their kitchen chores or men are at work in the fields, a moment of carelessness can get
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their hands poked by a splinter. When they try to pull it out but are unable to, they get very anxious about it
and hastily prick at it with a needle until they are bleeding, and this is not necessary. They can use a cotton
swab dipped in vinegar, wrapped to the site, and wait for a while, perhaps through an evening, and then it will
be very easy to pull out. A piece of fresh rubber soaked in water applied to the site can also work.
2. Fish are tasty and delicious, but beyond their deliciousness, they contain bones. Whenever small children eat
fish, a moment of inattention will commonly result in swallowing a fish bone or in being pricked in the gums.
They will want to spit the bone out but be unable to, to pull it out but be unable to, will feel pain and begin to
cry. If you encounter this kind of situation, you must by no means scold the child, since adults who are not
careful swallow fish bones too. Quickly give the child some vinegar to drink. The fish bone will then be easily
and naturally swallowed down the rest of the way. Also effective is eating water-soaked Chinese olive pits
wrapped in persimmon preserves, or drinking garden balsamic that has been boiled in water, and freshly
pounded Chinese olive juice works even better.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: ATTENTION TO HYGIENE CAN PROTECT HEALTH
Section One: Paying Attention to Hygiene
As long as you do not live in vast high-rise tenements, you ought to be conforming to the requirements of
hygiene, such as: adequate light, good air circulation, a clean source of water, garbage is kept at a good
distance, insects are kept away, and the gutters, patios, kitchens, and bathrooms are all kept sanitary.
Everyone in a household adults, children, servants should maintain cleanliness in their daily lifestyle, and
everything in life should have an orderliness. Thus illness naturally can be decreased. Hygiene is a matter of
commonsense, and by way of it, society will advance and transform. People usually only have a superficial
understanding of this.
Health is the greatest happiness in life. Only those with healthy bodies can do great things or shoulder large
responsibility. To protect the bodys health, you must carefully observe hygiene. It truly is the key to longevity.
During our lives, we should make a contribution, all of us fulfilling our duty so as not to dishonor the older
generation that gave us life. To maintain health, it cannot be overlooked for even a day. Modern people also
advocate mental hygiene, which has already become an international phenomenon with the same importance
as general sanitation.
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Section Two: Drinking Water, Taking Baths, and Sweating
When a person often drinks clean water, the water inside can rinse away dirty material inside the belly and
clean the digestive organs. Through bathing, water externally can wash dirt off the skin. Drinking plenty of
clean water and bathing regularly are methods of preventing illness internally and externally. Thus people have
said: Sunshine, air, and water are the three most important things for human life.
1. Cold-water bath:
A cold-water bath is an excellent natural tonic. When a person takes a cold-water bath, he first feels chilled,
then gradually feels warm. Regular use of cold-water baths causes the blood vessels to initially contract and
then stimulates them, refreshing the body and rousing the stomach, spurring appetite, and can also spark the
bodys internal capacity for resisting illness.
2. Warm-water bath:
When tired people bathe before sleeping, they can use warm water, because warm water can have a calming
effect on a tired person, able to make the muscles and nerves of the whole body relax. After bathing, change
into clean clothes and go to bed. It will be much easier to go to sleep. However, it is easy to catch a cold after a
warm bath, and so you must pay particular attention. For sick people, apart from the seriously ill who cannot
move without assistance and need help to get bathed, all those who can move on their own can take a bath
every day. It is of the greatest benefit to people.
3. Sweating can protect ones health. If a person has a fever but is not sweating, something is wrong. Do not be
put off or annoyed by a person who sweats easily. That only shows that you have the delicate nerves of a
modern person, overreacting to everything. People who sweat easily are sensitive and emotional, and can be
described as emotionally rich and benevolent. They make good friends, for they have a strong sense of justice
and affection. To be with this type of person when he loses his wife, one has to be extremely considerate. It is a
good match to choose a person who sweats easily as a friend or lover, for you will generally not get abandoned.
(The exception to all of this is a person who has an illness of sweating abnormally.)
Section Three: Methods of Rubbing Feet with Hot Water and of Sitting Baths
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1. Method of rubbing feet with hot water:

Soak the sick persons feet in a basin of hot water. This will make him feel very comfortable. After removing
his feet from the basin, rub them dry, and use a hot towel to rub his calves. Keep the room at a proper
temperature. Then rubbing his chest, back, and arms will help him toward recovery.
2. Method of hot or cold sitting bath:

Regardless of man or woman, when there is inflammation in the buttocks, rectum, or genitals, use two
basins of water, one cold and one hot. First sit the patient in the hot water, then pour the cold water over his
buttocks or genitals. After performing this over a long period, there will naturally be recovery. This is the
method of replacing hot with cold.
3. Method of wrapping with a hot compress:

Among the various methods of using bathing to treat illness, wrapping with a hot compress is best. Not only
does it affect the bodys surface, its influence can penetrate to the deeper layers. If used on a place where there
is pain, it will be very effective at stopping the pain. The method of wrapping a hot compress is very simple.
Use a pot or basin full of boiling water, put a woolen cloth or thick towel into the water to soak it up, hold both
ends and wring it out so it is merely damp, then it should be spread open and applied gently to the affected
area. Open up another dry towel and wrap it over the damp towel. Leave the wrappings on the painful area for
four or five minutes, then changing the wrappings. Repeat this process for a total of four or five times, then rub
the skin with alcohol and wipe it dry. This will be very effective.
4. Method of alternating cold and heat:

If a limb, a hand, or a foot has any sores or swelling, this method is very effective: Fill two half buckets, one
with cold water, one with hot water. The hot water should be as hot as you can bear, and the cold water should
extremely cold, ideally with ice in it. The affected area should be placed first in the hot water, soaking for about
half a minute, then quickly take it out and soak it in the cold water for a few seconds. Again lift it out and put
it in the hot water. The temperature of the hot water should be maintained. Alternate between soaking in the
cold water and hot water for about twenty minutes. After soaking in the cold water for the last time, the area
should be wiped dry. If there is any broken skin at the affected area, add a teaspoon of lysol to each bucket to
sterilize it.
For sores or swelling on the limbs, this method is particularly effective. For swellings on the neck or a sore
throat, treating it by wrapping a cold wet towel is likewise very effective. The Austrian doctor Vincent
Priessnitz created methods of treating illness with cold water that are world-famous. New generations of
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doctors continue to experiment with techniques of hydrotherapy, and there are many of these people. The
methods are compatible with the methods of applying water above.
Section Four: Monetary Notes Can Spread Disease
Money is everywhere and it is an evil thing. It can buy life, but it can also get you killed. People think it will
save them from hunger and cold. People think it will bless them with honor and glory. Because of this, bandits
and gangsters are induced by it to lose their minds and become brutal, while corrupt officials are seduced by it
to become black-hearted and envious [red-eyed]. People often treat it as a treasure and indeed overlook that
it is extremely filthy and capable of transmitting infectious disease.
Bank notes flow from place to place incessantly, regardless of currency. Once they are made, there is no
knowing how many times they have changed hands, between rich person and poor, between nobility and
peasant folk. However many, they have all had contact with each other. [Similar to the idea that you have sex
with every person your partner has had sex with, you touch every dirty person who has held that note.] People
who love it fear they cannot get enough. People who hoard it fear they cannot keep it secret enough.
In the midst of serious illness, even on the verge of death, people cling to it and hide it upon their persons. It
dwells in a moist atmosphere of sweat and is often carried in the vicinity of peoples reproductive organs. Also,
within gambling venues, every one of the variety of people there has it, even those among them who are ill with
malignant skin ulcers, easily transmitting illness to the other people there, leading to a wide spreading of
disease. Just imagine the level of filth that money achieves. Using a microscope to observe germs, they are
more than countless. When counting bank notes, you absolutely must not use your tongue to lick your fingers.
To do a lick with each count is the easiest way to transmit disease.
Points for attention:

1.
Bank notes are printed with a high-quality glue. If you are counting bills, you can use drops of water to count
them, for you must not count by licking your finger over and over.
2.
Regardless of the amount of money that you have touched, whenever you eat food you should first wash your
hands properly. Never be careless and forget to wash. Otherwise, since money carries every kind of bacteria,
you will unknowingly swallow germs down into your stomach.
3.
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Children are fond of money, but you should not allow them to play with it. Children often put money in their
mouths, where germs invade easiest. There are people who do not know how disease starts. Perhaps the thing
you treasure most will bring you disaster.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: MISCELLANEOUS ILLNESSES
Section One: Motion Sickness
What is commonly called motion sickness happens when you are riding in a boat, plane, car, or train. This
condition has many characteristics, such as pale complexion, a listless look in the eyes, an icy coldness in the
hands and feet, weak pulse, fear of turning around, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to noises
and smells, sensations of pain.
Prevention:
Usually about thirty percent of people suffer motion sickness, the only distinction being between a light
condition or a serious condition. Taking medicine for either case is inferior to prevention. Methods of
prevention are explained below:
1.
When riding on board a ship, do your best to be situated near a window to get fresh air, stay far away from the
smell of engine fumes, try to keep your cabin clean, and do not mingle among crowds. The sight of someone
being seasick will stimulate you into feeling the same.
2.
Keep your bed warm, try to stay calm, do not read, and do not absent-mindedly snack on things.
3.
Do not take part in banquets that take place at the front of the ship. Also do not drink alcohol or eat to the
point of being full. Eat only bland foods. And you must not smoke.
4.
When you are feeling dizzy, you must not push yourself to eat or drink. When your belly demands food, you can
only eat fruit, ice cream, or tomato juice. Once you can go a day without dizziness, you will from that point
gradually improve.
Section Two: Vitamin Overdose
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Vitamins are like beautiful prostitutes that are in high demand, especially by high officials and notable
gentlemen, fashionable women so spoiled they think they can eat many snacks without any harm. Foods are
not good if they are lacking in nutrition, but eating too many vitamins can lead to vitamin overdose. If a
person goes hungry, the stomach lining feels unwell, whereas if he eats too much, the stomach lining gets
stretched and is equally uncomfortable. Whenever I see an enthusiastic housewife worry that her children are
not getting sufficient vitamins, she pours such large quantities into them that she outwits herself by instead
giving rise to anorexia and an unhappy feeling, or problems such as nausea, dizziness, melancholy.
If you have such a blind faith in vitamins, I ask you if would someday try eating half a pound of them and do
you think that would make you feel that much better? That would be making a joke out of life, like pulling on
the plants to help them grow [Mengzi, chapter 2a]. The best principle in health care is to seek to do what is
suitable. Taking medicine is not a matter of the more, the better. You absolutely must not abuse it. Some
people are impatient for their bodies to get better, so they take pills and get injections, and the result achieved
is the opposite. Once they are getting injections because of a runny nose, this is no different from taking hits of
morphine.
Section Three: Fatigue
There is psychological fatigue and physical fatigue, and there is good fatigue and bad fatigue. Good fatigue is
when one works very long or uses much strength, both producing tiredness. After these kinds of fatigue, he will
eat a lot of food and have delicious sleep, and upon waking he will feel so pleasant. However, some people have
an irritable personality and are unable to eat or sleep. While working, they feel fatigue first in their nervous
system, then in their muscles. Muscular fatigue can be dispelled by a hot-water bath, a massage, or a rest. But
nervous fatigue is a more genuine weariness. As this kind of fatigue proceeds, it becomes an emotional fatigue.
False fatigue is psychological fatigue, fatigue which manifests regardless of working long or only briefly. This
puts him in a kind of life or death state in which he is instantly inspired to collapse in drowsiness. When such
fatigue hits, he should drink some tea or coffee or spend some time with friends. People who do physical labor
should have limits. They must not overwork themselves, which will harm the body.
Getting rid of fatigue:

Fatigue divides into the physical and the psychological. Physical fatigue is easier to recover from, and does
not even require you to lie down in bed and rest. Psychological fatigue is harder to recover from, for it requires
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a kind of mental training. Some ways of recovering from physical fatigue are described below:
1.
Leisurely walk, straightening your back, pacing through your house with measured steps. This can relieve
pressure on your organs.
2.
Meditation:
Sit in a chair without leaning back into it, feet flat on the ground, back straight, both hands on your knees.
Sit relaxed, breathing slowly and deeply. The act of expelling old air and taking in new air can refresh your
spirit. Even if you sit for only a few minutes a couple times a day, it is particularly effective. If you meditate on
a sofa when you are fatigued, you can also draw in your thighs and shoulders, relaxing and curling ten or
twenty times, and then when you stand up, you will feel a renewed strength.
As for psychological fatigue, once we reach middle age, we experience grief, disappointment, bitterness,
failure. When we feel in our minds the burden of unforeseen responsibility, we feel in our bodies physical
fatigue. But what most erodes our spirit is regret. We regret bad things we should not have done and good
things we did not do. If you are obsessively regretting, you will never get any peace. You should understand
that nobody sells a medicine for regret. Doctors say: Emotional agitation is the source of countless illnesses.
We should have the attitude of: Everything of yesterday is dead. Everything of tomorrow is alive. This is the
way to start living your life again.
3.
Physical fatigue is easy to treat, whereas psychological fatigue requires psychotherapy. Discard everything that
bothers you. You do not have to deal with what you have done before, nor even remember it. I have the
willpower to not punish myself for the life I have led, and I instead move on to new paths with new possibilities.
You can prevent psychological fatigue. All you need is to have an attitude of indomitable drive. The body will
correspondingly become tougher, and thus mind and body will be strengthened together. Nothings stopping
you.
Section Four: Becoming Ill Because of Worry
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Ones mental state has a large influence upon ones body, for the mind is a willful and clever place and there are
many deep illusions in an untrained body. The body might feel slightly unwell simply in relation to
physiological changes and adjustments of metabolism caused by the weather and the changing seasons. This is
not a trivial thing because it can lead to excessive fears, turning contentment into harshness, increasing in
severity until illness fully arises in the person. With no other cause than this, doubts can turn into real
problems.
Therefore it has been said: Some people who slightly feel unwell will through their own delusions become
ill. Often because of such a psychological error, they end up actually getting the illness they were worrying
about. Thus many illnesses are the result of depression, worry, or regret. These kinds of moods can all
diminish ones capacity for living, inducing illness and harming the body, hence becoming sick because of
worry. You have to be careful of them. Ones willpower toward health recovery is very potent. Although it is
difficult to avoid worrying about illness, you should firm up your determination and strive to be healthy, for
extraordinary effects will manifest within your unconscious mind.
There are some people who are unsociable and exist apart from the group, who think very highly of
themselves and criticize others: This one is not good and that one is really bad There seems to be no one in
the world who is good enough for them. But society is so broad, they are not aware of everyone, hence they are
lonely recluses, pessimistic about the times and damning toward the world. Depression results in their minds.
What is an effective means of saving the world? Contribute something to it! The natural answer is: You
may have crafty solutions, but why can you not accept people? You are so good at being opinionated that you
actually cannot see what is beautiful. You have only been relying on being clever about trivial things and have
gotten wrapped up in your own petty world, coming to a dead end. To get people to follow your lead would be a
joke. I ask you to enlarge your vision and silently strive to sympathize with others and collaborate with their
talents. To only cherish the narrow-minded notion that everyone else is wrong and only I am right is
intolerable. You should understand that this is really a case of a seed being planted in ground that is too hard
and getting swept away, or of someone with a wondrous pearl who never shares its shine with anyone else. The
moral is: be a part, not apart. By frequently doing good deeds for others, you will never be lonely.
There is a saying: Depression fears loneliness. People are not spirits. They cannot exist in solitude. They
live and they die, and each persons wisdom is finite. It is essential for us to help each other and work together.
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Within human sympathy and understanding lies warmth, and this warmth sometimes surpasses the power of
medicine. When you have worries, you should not obsess over them. It is best to tell them to someone you
respect and trust, explaining them to someone who will understand. Venting your concerns will not only relieve
gloom, it can also bring you inspiration and help to reduce problems.
Idly worrying is the most bitter thing. Work is the best medicine to counter it. It is not work that injures the
body, it is worry. Worry is like rust on a knife, which can slowly erode it into scrap iron. When a person is idle
all day with nothing to do, worry intrudes, opening the way to worse foes that will cause greater worries. There
is a saying: Worry can hurt you. Anger can get you killed. You have to be careful.
Ways of distracting yourself away from worry: mountain climbing, going fishing, reading books, playing
chess, taking walks, practicing boxing arts, visiting friends who are in the hospital, or doing farm labor are all
good remedies for reducing worry. When somebody worries to an extreme, such low spirits lead to illness. Very
bored and lazy, spirit dejected, he seeks advice from the best doctor who finds there is no illness because it is
too difficult to diagnose. However, if this person does not find a method of dealing with it, the problem will not
go away.
The doctor will then ceaselessly advise him to get up early each day and take a walk. After a month of this,
he may say there has been no effect, and the doctor will tell him: Stop walking with your head down. You
should raise your head as you walk and observe all the birds in the forest, and listen well to their calls. After a
month of doing it this way, he will indeed have results. Depressed people ought to try this, for they may receive
a quiet inspiration. Nature supplies us with many vehicles for the journey to enlightenment. The subtle voice of
Nature is loudest at dawn.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: THE WILL TO LIVE
Section One: The Will to Live and Hidden Strengths
The reason why life can be a sustained splendid youthfulness is not only a matter of eating and drinking well.
There has to be a kind of unshakable power of control over ones life. This is the will to live. Because some
people lack determination, they are easily hindered throughout life. This does not mean their lives will be
shortened, but that their bodies will be filled with illness and they will never be at peace.
There are very few problems in our lives that cannot be solved. When we encounter difficulties that we
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cannot escape from, it is not merely due to pressure from external circumstances, it is because we have not
sought thoroughly inside ourselves for our hidden strengths and have not invited those strengths to come out.
We are thus unable to find solutions to problems or are sometimes clinging to solutions that are worthless and
are unwilling to accept any advice. When we reject solutions to problems, then what are we to do? We are only
heading down a self-destructive path.
It should be understood that people are for the most part responsible for their own bodies. We want to
achieve things, but very few of us accomplish our goals. Why is this? It is because of a lack of determination in
life and an overlooking of hidden strengths. That being the case, how can we finish anything? How can we
overcome obstacles to obtain great success and great fulfillment? The answer is: we need to develop
determination, formulating long-term plans and various possible methods for cultivating it. Once we have
determination, our lives become enriched and cheerful and we can reach the highest peaks.
People seek longevity not only to live long, but also to live better. For life to have meaning, we must first
eliminate the temptation for hindrances that shorten life. From childhood to old age, we all should
perseveringly cultivate willpower and practice effective exercises to draw out our hidden strengths. To work
consistently all day long without tiring, maintaining enthusiasm for it, and keep a steadfast faith in yourself in
whatever you do, it is easy to develop limitless ability. Below are two examples of drawing out hidden
strengths:
1.
Thirty-seven years ago, when I was only twenty, my body was thin and weak. I had quit school and was
unemployed. One day, the household next door caught fire, threatening disaster upon our family, so we
urgently rushed to save all our things. I was able to grab a cabinet that weighed about two hundred pounds
and move it outside, to the surprise of everyone. Once the fire had been extinguished, I wanted to carry the
cabinet back into the house, but then I could not do it and had to ask for help to lift it. I examined for why I
was able to before but not after. It was simply because my emotional state activated my hidden strength.
2.
There was a certain woman, on her deathbed with illness, filled with medicines and seeming too weak to
survive. Her son failed to return in the afternoon, and her mind was so anxious about it that she could not hold
back her moans, and the severity of her illness increased. Then suddenly someone came in and said: Your son
is on top of a mountain fighting with people. His life is in great danger. As soon as she heard this, she ran out
to the hills, her hidden strength emerging. When people have the will to live, their hidden strengths become
even more formidable.
Section Two: Psychological Illness Cured by Psychological Means
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There are many people who constantly complain about indefinable problems and consult doctors all day long,
but whatever the treatment, their illnesses go unchanged. Their problems are peculiar and many: such as a
feeling of weakness in the limbs, an inability to sleep, lower backache, nervous breakdown, listless spirit, and so
on. They can all be attributed to a common issue, that of an indescribable feeling of exhaustion for which there
seems to be no remedy. These people often admire those who can eat their fill, get adequate sleep, diligently
carry out their work, and wake after a sound sleep with high spirits and a body full of vigor.
But those who talk about themselves in more crestfallen terms do not want to eat or drink or work, and they
wake more tired than when they went to sleep. It should be understood that people with exuberant spirit do
not necessarily have exceptional vitality, they simply use body and mind more effectively and appropriately.
But how does one actually get oneself into such a state of vigor? Internal struggles are generally hidden within,
therefore doctors cannot treat people with psychological illness, for they seem to be ill but are not ill.
A person with an internal conflict is like a nation undergoing a civil war or a desperate armed rebellion, and
if they cannot relieve the emotional pressure building up for a long time, they will become ill even though
without sickness. It seems to be the kind of illness that would call for the assistance of a doctor, but even
doctors with miraculous medical skills cannot cure illness that is only in your mind. If the cause of a
psychological illness cannot be eliminated, the physical manifestation of the illness cannot be treated, and thus
to entirely rely on medicines would be completely ineffective. Hence: psychological illness requires
psychological treatment. Below are three examples of this:
1.
The son of a rich old Mr. Zhang was walking through Blue Rock Pass in Laiwu [in Shandong]. There was a
huge boulder hanging at an angle beside the path and people were walking under it. When Zhangs son saw
this, he was shocked, expecting it would fall at any moment and crush who knows how many people to death.
He hastened home and occupied his mind with finding a way to remove this boulder, thinking hard and
anxiously, but did not come up with a solution. However, he did succeed in making himself ill to the point of
being completely bedridden and in a state of such mental distraction that no medicines had any effect.
He gradually became emaciated, making his family very worried, and they spared no expense in bringing in
famous doctors and seeking the best medicine. Among them was a doctor Ye who was very clever. He noticed
the boys tightly knit brow and that it represented a secret worry. He inquired into it, but got no answers.
Craftily discovering what was on the boys mind, he returned to the family a few days later and proclaimed
loudly to Mr. Zhang: I heard some news of a boulder hanging over Blue Rock Pass. Apparently it has fallen
down due to the wind and rain.
Right after he had finished saying these words, he suddenly heard Zhangs son ask from his room: Did it
crush anyone to death?
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Doctor Ye said: It happened in the middle of the night and didnt hurt anybody.
The son sighed and said: Now I can put my mind at ease. And consequently he rapidly recovered.
2.
There was a certain man whose joy withdrew and he became unwilling to live amongst other people. He
gradually become ill and was hospitalized, but after much examination, no particular illness was diagnosed.
His parents asked what was wrong with him, but there was no answer. Then it was discovered that in the office
where he worked there was a very disagreeable coworker positioned to his left who continually stared in his
direction, and one day there was suddenly another equally disagreeable coworker placed to his right. All day
long, he could only lower his head and do his work while inside he suffered extraordinarily and consequently
became ill.
The doctors told him it was not necessary for him to be hospitalized or take medication, he should simply
learn to cooperate with people and enjoy the company of others, and then his illness will cure itself. What after
all would be the use of medication for such a condition?
3.
The young child of a certain widow went missing, disappearing without trace. It was uncertain whether he was
alive or dead. After a long period of worry, she became ill, depression and exhaustion set in, rendering her
completely bedridden and barely breathing.
She then heard two people talking in front of her door: She cannot die. If she dies, her son will be an
orphan and that would be too painful for him.
The other person said: Ive heard that her son has an artistic talent and has been discovered by some art
group who wants to train him. Theyve put him into a specialized study program that wont let him contact his
family until after he has completed a year of study
As these words came into her ears, hope sprung up, reviving her will to live, shaking her out of her
disheartened state, bringing great consolation to her burdened mind. With the emerging of a livening hope
and courage, she consequently recovered from her illness.
If subtle comforting comments are applied appropriately, they can produce excellent results. Not only can
they change ones temperament, they can also treat illness. For such illnesses, there seem to be no effective
medications, therefore psychological illness requires psychological treatment.
Section Three: Early Senility
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The signs of early senility are listless spirit, weakness of mind, a man (or woman) who has not yet reached old
age but is hunched over and walking with a limp as though carrying the whole world on his shoulders, his
spirit full of suffering, his face always toward the ground. Even though only thirty or forty years old, he seems
to be in the autumn of his life. He is lethargic, seeming to look through everything rather than at it, as though
he is almost dead. We can judge him (or her) as having too early given up the struggle to survive, surrendering
to feelings of self-destructiveness.
F ollow
People are old not merely because of their years, but
because of their emotional reaction to things. They are
like the type of people who upon losing

all their
money go grey overnight and kill themselves. There are people
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who encounter misfortune and are Translation

undaunted, who fight through it, then seek out a new path and forge ahead.
Although their faces become more wrinkled,
these are the marks of battling on through bad luck.
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your Inbox.person. Not only does he not bow his head in surrender, he develops
Circumstances cannot shake a determined
new abilities. There is a saying: When hand and brain work together, the outcome is beautiful for both. For
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people who are good at using both brain and body, they will simply not become senile.
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For those who think that it is not necessary after completing school to continue to seek learning, they will
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not be able to obtain either knowledge or joy.
They will only succeed in ruining themselves by more easily
leading themselves toward senility. When people stop learning, they easily start to become senile, and when
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people lose interest in human affairs, they too easily start to become senile. When people stop exercising, their
bodies will start to become frail. It should be understood about human physiology that their is no specified age
at which people need to stop exercising, nor a specific age at which decrepitude will begin.
Some old people completely lack signs of senility. They continue to have a comfortable demeanor, preserving
their youthful vigor and bodily function. They hear and see well, they have a friendly disposition, a
compassionate mentality, a sharp intellect. All the way to their deaths, they maintain the dignity and wisdom
of the highest quality of person. These are the old people we cannot help but admire.
The American folk artist Grandma Moses started her studies when in her seventies. She is now a hundred
years old and is still very healthy in her work. She has said: Forget about your age and just think about
helping other people. The best way is to not know what old age is. The famous scholar L Xinwu once wrote:
From now on, be resolved to raise up your true spirit. Half your life is already spent. But theres still another
half! From these examples can be seen that even at fifty or sixty years old, vitality still flourishes.
While we seek longevity, it should not only be a matter of more years but especially of livelier years. Take
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a look at a very old tree. The older it gets, the more it flourishes, branches and leaves thickening, roots getting
stronger, still thriving and progressing. Old youthful people are the same. The addition of new tree rings does
not restrict the developing of ones vitality. The ancient Roman philosopher Cicero said that the golden years of
ones life are in old age. Notice the proud chrysanthemums in an autumn frost, or the plum blossoms shining
in winter, and the verdant evergreens. Witness even more the powerful elegant beauty of old people.
Section Four: Suicide
Suicide and murder are both crimes, because they are by nature the same, only different in the way they are
performed. However, suicide compared to murder is even more impulsive and cruel. Suicides can be divided
into about four different types:
1. To give life out of loyalty, dying righteously for a just cause:
This kind of suicide can be considered an exception, for it is not only guiltless, it is heroic and admirable.
2. Suicide on impulse:
This is when body and mind receive a serious blow, or in a rage or bout of extreme grief, one suddenly
becomes tired of the world. At least this kind of person will only make one attempt. If in the course of trying to
kill himself, he sufficiently vents his feelings and sees his error, or if he happens to be rescued by other people,
he will give up his thoughts of death and never make a second attempt. This kind is usually committed by
short-tempered emotional people.
3. To commit suicide because of depression:
Depression is a nervous disorder, often involving contemplations of suicide due to endlessly failing to
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achieve ones goals. This kind is usually committed by weak cowards.

4. Fake suicide:
When some people happen to become unsatisfied with their circumstances, are humiliated by other people,
or feel pressured by other people, they often threaten to kill themselves. They usually do not carry it out, they
only want to kill themselves as a passive-aggressive tool, using suicide as a way to threaten other people.
The three crimes above are carried out by cowards who do not have the guts to stand up to other people,
killing themselves for lack of courage. Such people are an absolute disgrace. It is not that death is a crime, but
that those who die in this way are such a disappointment.
People in society have a contradictory way of viewing suicide, on one hand sympathizing, and on the other
condemning. In our history, suicide has not been uncommon. Sometimes it was committed by heroes who are
even to this day praised and pitied, other times it was a pointless act that people have reviled. In my opinion,
beyond the first type of suicide, the rest are all crimes. It should be understood that people really are rarely
incapable of resolving their situations. However bad things may be, it is not going to go on like that forever.
You may think that suicide is a way of solving a problem, but who is going to deal with the situation you leave
behind? Your death is not going to be enough to make up for the misery you pass down to other people.
There are even more people who kill themselves because of disappointment in love.
It is often uttered: What could be more glorious than to die for love? Rather pathetic. There are also people
who say: People die like falling petals anyway, turning into ghosts and blowing away in the wind. This is a
still more deviant and shameless view. It should be understood that true love is pure and of undoubted value.
But is not life itself of even more worth? It has been observed that the youth of today are increasingly thinking
life cheap because of disappointment in love. I cannot help but feel sorry for them and say: Love is precious.
Life is more so. These are indeed words of weight.
The ancient Greeks dealt with suicide by cutting off the bodys arms to demonstrate punishment for it. The
people of Athens considered suicide the destruction of ones personal duty, an insult to society, and they did
their utmost to eliminate it. Early people have often condemned suicide and have gone so far as to drag suicide
corpses through the market to demonstrate punishment for it. It was also seen as a violation against the
responsibility given to people by God. The Christian Church declared that the soul of one who commits suicide
will be sent to Hell, never to leave. In England even by the end of the seventeenth century, people who
committed suicide continued to be hung by nooses from platforms to publicly expose them, and their property
was usually confiscated. It was considered a double offense: a violation against God and an act of damage to
the nation.
Nowadays, suicide is common in society. It engenders sympathy and pity, but this mentality does not help.
Although there is a valiant way to give ones life, this is a weak generation and that first type of suicide is the
rarest. It seems that no one is afraid of death, and yet there is no problem that cannot be solved. It should be
understood that our parents gave us life, every inch of us. Teachers and friends then help us to grow into
complete people. We should vigorously throw ourselves into ambitious enterprises so as not to dishonor the life
our elders have given us.
Death is not sufficiently feared. It should be respected. To give ones precious life for the nation and the
people is honorable, therefore Wen Tianxiang wrote [from Crossing the Lingding Estuary]: People have
always died. But my loyalty will live on in memory. There is honor in such heroism. But there is a saying:
Death is as heavy as Mt. Tai, and yet as light as a goose feather. People get one and only one death, and after
death, there is no living again. Ancient people saw their bodies as gifts from their parents and thus did not
dare to be injured. Life is sacred and the body is precious. So how can anyone in the misjudgment of a moment
so casually throw it away?
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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: SOME FURTHER THOUGHTS
Section One: An Assortment of Maxims
Ancient heroes met with great humiliations, receiving them calmly as though not even aware of what was
happening to themselves, serving as examples to us in later days. When people have small setbacks, they
become angry and depressed, dying young. Even those with much learning fall into oblivion. Therefore study
the greatness of Gou Jian and Fan Li [who are classical examples of persistence], and avoid the stresses of Qu
Yuan and Jia Yi [who are classical examples of whining].
The more difficulty a fearless person faces, the more courage he musters. He does not tremble or shrink
away. He stands up straight and stays steadfast in his determination. He dares to tackle any problem, shrugs
off every misfortune, laughs at every obstacle. Suffering privation will not diminish him, it will instead only
reinforce his resolve. He becomes heroic, worthy of admiration by the whole world. Such people never let Fate
get in the way.
When people become adults, they grow out of these ideas, finding them to be of no value. Reduced to being
a bag of blood with some bones in it, they eat whenever they are hungry, drink whenever they are thirsty, and
want sex whenever they feel restless. When poor, they think about wealth, and once wealthy, they think about
power. When they feel angry, they rant and rave. When they feel sad, they get lost in grief. When they feel hardpressed, they become overwhelmed. When they feel happy, they become lustful. Basically, they give in to their
primal instincts, then grow old and die, no different from animals.
There is no shame in being poor. What is a shame is to be poor and have no ambition. There is nothing vile
in being humble. What is vile is to be humble and have no ability. There is nothing pitiable about being old.
What is a pity is to be old with an empty life. There is nothing to grieve in death. What is to be grieved is to die
and go unremembered.
Mengzi said [Mengzi, chapter 6b]: When Nature bestows responsibility on a person, it first tests his
willpower, works his body, starves him, makes him destitute, and ruins whatever he tries to do, thereby
activating his mind and building his endurance, making him able where he used to unable. Those of you who
want to kill yourselves when you meet with inescapable hardships, read these words carefully, for they can
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inspire. Enlightenment is not just for the wise. It can happen to anyone, such is its mysterious power.
Section Two: The Vitality of Human Life
We think that to have life is to be alive and to not have life is to be dead. But while we call the death of the body
death, it is the death of the mind that is truly death. There are so many zombies walking through the world,
people whose minds have already died. Thus there is a saying [from Zhuangzi, chapter 21]: There is no sorrow
greater than the death of the mind. [The death of the body takes second place]. Once we have life, we should
earnestly be alive. But being alive requires a kind of power to enrich us and push us forward. We call this
power vitality.
It says in the Book of Changes, Qian hexagram [hexagram 1]: Just as Nature acts with vigor, a gentleman
ceaselessly improves himself. The universe is eternally renewing itself due to its energy of constant motion. A
person is a microcosm of the universe. You have to have a way of striving to improve yourself in order to have
a genuinely ceaseless vitality.
Albert Einstein said: Death should not be feared. One merely goes quietly to sleep. And on that day, one no
longer needs to fear the difficulties of life. One need only fear the loss of aspirations and beliefs while alive. It is
the chasing of superficial externalities which poison and pinch at the soul. If we truly want to be alive, we will
do things to make us feel alive, and then our will to live shall become a formidable power of resistance against
all difficulties.
A persons instincts generally contain two strong impulses: one being the determination to survive, the
other being self-destructiveness. People who create and discover things have a stronger instinct to survive and
are consequently full of vitality. If we wholeheartedly seek to be alive, we will then not fear death, and in not
fearing death, we will not bring about death, and thus we will truly be alive. To ceaselessly improve yourself
expresses the vitality of being alive.
Section Three: Poems about the Right or Wrong Ways to Be
1. On Perseverance
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You should not be discouraged when others overpower you. Give them no grieving complaints as they step
on you.
At times when others wound you, gritting your teeth in patience is an effective tonic.
When the way ahead is rough and difficult to travel, persevere and strive like a legendary horse.
In the midst of suffering, there is no use for doubts. Heroes ancient and modern have all made such
mistakes. There are men of great talent, men of great achievement, and men of great awareness. True
greatness always comes from perseverance.
Remember these words: Do not seek to win for only a day. Calculate success or failure for your whole
life. Once in your coffin, your life will become clear, and it will be determined whether your efforts
amounted to little or much weight.
Persevere! Persevere! By being indomitable, you will succeed.
2. True Strength
One who goes against his conscience to behave crudely and rashly he seems resilient but is actually
compliant.
One who strives for the highest ideals and suffers humiliation with patience he seems compliant but is
actually resilient.
One who cheats others and is miserly he seems smart but is actually stupid.
One who is trustworthy and is willing to endure hard work he seems stupid but is actually smart.
One whose body is tall but fat, and so he easily becomes ill he seems strong but is actually weak.
One whose body is thin but his spirit is abundant, and so he never needs medicine he seems weak but is
actually strong.
Whatever manner of treachery or cruelty you may perpetrate, what kind of person would that make
you? And what would it get you? You would only return to being a good person with nothing.
If you had enough power to abuse people or enough talent to deserve pride, would this truly make you an
extraordinary person?
To be sneaky and behave with indifference, to flatter and beg for mercy this really is ignorance of the
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judgment of the world.

Stand upon a solid base, allowing the true strength within to express from your conscience.
Fear nothing! Dare to do everything! Be a person who can do anything!
3. New Lease on Life
After you fall down, get up again. If you failed last year, this year you will succeed, or maybe after another
year, or two, or three. Have confidence that sooner or later you will succeed.
It is lucky chance that graces people with positions of nobility. Do not be envious or jealous. Do not go
along with the classical notion that starving to death is a small matter compared to losing face.
What kind of a world are we living in now? What sort of a place is this? The aim in human life is to be of
service to others, not to strive for fame and wealth.
People whine and make their cynical comments, momentary flauntings of wit that are of no help to
anyone. And yet: Remote hills produce uncut jade. Imperial courts have a vulgar smell. So why should we
consider whether our position in society is high or low?
A person of genuine talent has gone through trial and training to deserve admiration.
To become dispirited or disappointed is tantamount to suicide. By rousing your spirit, people will admire
and emulate you, and you will then be an example to all.
Worrying once leads to illness. Worrying over and over leads to ruination. If you are good at preventing
it, you will no longer have illness and you will not lose the health of your body.
Receiving is inferior to giving. Judgment is inferior to forgiveness. Criticism is inferior to encouragement.
Sorrow is inferior to cheer.
Just wait for the moonlight to shine. Do not seek for flowers that have already wilted.
Forget what is past and look ahead to the new.
The sun breaks through the dawn clouds and ascends.
4. Lucky Me
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There are ill people who have abundant food but no desire to eat, and there are poor people who have a
vigorous desire to eat but no food. I have both the desire to eat and food to eat. How fortunate I am!
Many who were born in the same year as myself have died, but I still have a healthy life. How fortunate I
am!
There were people last night who suffered from insomnia, but I slept very deep. There were people this
morning who could hardly eat a bit of breakfast, but I gobbled many things that were fragrant and sweet.
How fortunate I am!
Some people form friendships and later in an instant become enemies. My close friends persistently care
about me. How fortunate I am!
Some people wear almost nothing in summer and yet sweat buckets, then wear fur coats in winter and
yet frostily exhale. I have only two shirts that I wear all year round without feeling any difference. How
fortunate I am!
Some people argue over inheritance. I instead am the first among my relations, old or young, to get up
and sing. How fortunate I am!
My troubled friends, everything can be okay right now. You only need to change your state of mind and
you will be able to handle anything.
Section Four: Untitled
Before dawn, there lingers a moment of darkness. Once the darkness goes, there is glorious light.
Regardless of how cold it is, determination will not turn to ice.
Pure jade cannot be allowed to tarnish. A pure soul cannot be allowed to decay.
A gleaming sharpened sword cannot be allowed to rust. A gurgling river cannot be allowed to silt up.
To linger on the verge of death just for the sake of one more breath cannot be counted as life. Gloomy
pessimism wounds both body and mind.
There will be more people with strong belief and they will never be dispirited.
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Belief is power. Struggle is merely life.

Belief is a seed that eventually sprouts through the hard earth.
It is the flowing water that breaks through mud or ice built up on a riverbed.
It is the rooster announcing the dawn.
It is the wintersweet coming into bloom in the countryside amongst wind and snow.
It is the fearlessness of gold toward being melted down.
It is the brush fire burning everything to replenish the decayed soil.
Past pains sink into the ocean. Fresh flowers refill the mountains.
Friends! Lift up your hands, firmly believe, and fight on through. Let us grab life and express it,
reclaiming days of bird song and fragrant flowers [i.e. springtime / youth].
(Note: When I previously published this piece in the Zhanghua County Teachers of Literary Arts Magazine, it
was laughed at.)
A Final Song:
Once longevity has been fully understood,

to go from old age back to youth is not a strange thing.
Take care of your body and then it will always be in good order.
Prevent illness and then good heath will never be far away.
AFTERWORD
This book is not intended as a substitute for doctors. It is for causing everyone to know the ways of internal
exercise and illness prevention, so that they will understand the basic common sense of hygiene and how
willpower can bring about soundness of body and mind to mitigate illness, as well as the significance of
psychology in dispelling illness. Although science is flourishing nowadays and medicine has become so
sophisticated, human lifestyles are now more varied and the symptoms of illness that are expressed are more
numerous, a new kind appearing with each day, evolving endlessly.
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As I have but little talent and shallow learning, what I have been able to present here is not even one tenthousandth of the material. I hope that you will study these principles, realize their methods, and sincerely
abide by them, or that you will go a step further and spread them widely out of a sense of self-love and caring
for others, of self-help and helping of others. That would be the fulfillment of this book, for how could a person
keep this all for himself?
I now conclude with the principles of self-cultivation as expressed by a wise man of a previous age:
Just as a cartload requires a cart under it,
or a light must have an object to shine upon,
a person without health
cannot do anything.
Reduce your desires and cleanse your mind.
You are then ready for cultivation to enrich your body.
The fresh will replace the stale
and you will be boosted in abilities.
In life, there is failure as well as success.
Do not feel disgraced by it.
Have a princely calm.
Why fret, why worry?
All living things are so thrilled to be alive.
So why should the humans be so sad?
All have evolved to be so different, but are all from the same source,
the same original Oneness
Abouttheseads
Relat ed
THE BADUANJIN MANUAL OF YIN

QIANHE
In "Complete Works of Yin Qianhe"
YANG STYLE TAIJI SWORD ACCORDING

TO YIN QIANHE
STARTLING-RAINBOW SWORD
(JINGHONG JIAN)
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YIN QIANHE ON LONGEVITY - Brennan Translation PDF

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or RIDDING ILLNESS WITHOUT MEDICINE

[calligraphy by] Yu Youren

AUTHORS GENERAL COMMENTS

4. This book is divided into two parts:

seeking paths toward health.

Portrait of the author

Part One: Internal Secrets of Keeping Fit and Ridding Illness

Chapter One: Cultivating what is True to Stabilize our Nature

Section One: The Real Golden Elixir

Section Two: Cultivating Energy through Meditation

Section Three: Not Getting Lost in Desires

Section Four: Drinking the Longevity Potion

Section Five: Calming Your Heart and Nourishing Your Kidneys

Section Six: Maintaining Centeredness and Preserving Active Energy

Chapter Two: Staying Healthy to Live Longer

Section One: Harmonious Indifference

Section Two: Using the Breath to Rid Illness

Section Three: Treasuring Good Deeds to Keep Away Calamity

Chapter Three: Selections from Elixirist Literature

Section One: Adding Oil to Receive Life

Section Two: Concentrating Spirit and Cultivating Elixir

Section Three: Spirit and Energy Dependent on Quietude

Section Four: Gathering Energy and Opening Energy Junctures

Chapter Four: Techniques of Cultivating Fitness

Chapter Five: Secrets of Using Massage to Rid Illness

Section Two: Brightening the Eyes to be Like Precious Pearls

Section Four: Hugging the Shoulders and Twisting (including photo)

Section Five: Massaging the Kidneys (including photo)

Section Six: Massaging the Jia Ji Acupoint (including photo)

Section Seven: Massaging the Elixir Field (including photo)

Chapter Six: Meditation

Section One: Standing Meditation (including photo)

Section Two: Sitting Meditation (including photo)

Section Three: Meditation Lying Down (including photo)

Chapter Seven: Qigong

Section One: Explanation of Qigong

Section Two: Psychology in Qigong

Section Three: Lifting the Anus While Inhaling

Section Four: Regulating the Breath

Section Five: Abdominal Breathing

Chapter Eight: Simple and Easy Massage Techniques

Chapter Nine: Sequence and Explanations for Internal Exercises

Section One: Practice Sequence

Section Two: Explaining Internal Exercise

Chapter Ten: Various Sayings about Health

Section One: The Way of Health

Section Two: The Eight-Word Secret to Nourishing Life

Section Three: Health Lies Within Naturalness

Section Four: A Collection of Health Sayings

Section Five: In Common Sayings Lie Truth

Section Six: There is No Secret to Long Life

Chapter Eleven: Over a Hundred Effective Folk Prescriptions

Section One: The Head

Section Two: Internal Illnesses

Section Three: External Illnesses

Section Four: On Eating Inedible Foods and Dealing with Poisons

Section Five: Stranguria

Section One: Bad Combinations of Foods

Section Two: Foods as Treatment for Illness

Part Two: Preventing and Treating Illness

Chapter Thirteen: Illnesses of the Head

Section One: Headache