Qi and Chinese Medicine Can Lead to Balanced Health

The big question: what is Qi (pronounced CHEE, sometimes spelled chi or ch'i)? You may have already heard different explanations, perhaps having to do with Chinese medicine, energy or life force. There are lots of definitions out there, but many of them do not fully explain what this mysterious thing is, what it does in your body, and what it means to your health.

To find out more about how qi can keep you healthy, continue reading. If you want to learn about other aspects of Chinese medicine, choose from the following:

Yin and Yang  Five Elements  Blood  Fluids  Qi, Blood, and Fluids  Essence  Channels/Meridians  Viscera  Diseases and Their Causes  Four examinations  Syndrome Differentiation (Pattern Identification)

Table of Contents:
-Origin of Qi
-The Movement of Qi
-The Functions of Qi

Origin of Qi
The most basic form of Qi [气 qi4] in your body is original qi [元气yuan2qi4 or 原气 yuan2qi4 or 真气 zhen1qi4], which is a combination of three forms of qi: essential qi [先天精气 xian1tian1jing1qi], digestive qi [水谷精气 shui3gu3jing1qi] and cosmic qi [自然界清气 zi4ran2jie4jing1qi4]. 

Essential qi is passed down to you from your parents and is stored in your kidneys. Once you’re born, the quality or amount of essential qi you have stays that way the rest of your life. You can’t increase your essential qi after being born. It is important to care for a baby before it’s born, so as not to harm its essential qi. 

Digestive qi comes from the food you eat. The spleen and stomach take digested food and turn it into qi, which sustains the functions of your body. 

Cosmic qi comes from the air you breathe in and relies on the lungs to transform the air into qi.  Think of it as the qi you harness from the environment and the natural world.  

There are a few more kinds of qi that affect your health:

Pectoral qi [宗气 zong1qi4], rightly named, is located in the chest. It is a product of digestive and cosmic qi. It regulates breathing and promotes the movement of blood and qi.

Nourishing qi [营气 ying2qi4] is made of digestive qi and travels inside the meridians. It has a nourishing function and can produce blood.

Defensive qi [卫气 wei4qi4] moves outside the meridians and is spread throughout the body following qi. During the day it moves near the surface of the body, like a shield to protect against external pathogens, and at night it retracts deeper into the body.

The movement of Qi [气机 qi4ji1]
In a healthy body, qi is constantly moving. It can move in four basic directions: up [升 sheng1], down [降 jiang4], in [入 ru4] and out [出 chu1] of the body. 

Each of the organs in the body can move qi in a certain direction. For example, the spleen and liver will send qi up, the stomach can send qi down, and the lungs can send qi in many directions. The best case scenario in terms of your health is when there is a balance of movement in these different directions.   

If the movement of qi is impeded, you'll start to see symptoms of disease. A basic example qi stagnation [气滞 qi4zhi4], which occurs when the movement or flow of qi is obstructed. Common symptoms of qi stagnation are distending pain, a feeling of swelling or increased internal pressure. This usually occurs in the lungs, liver, or spleen/stomach.

Reversed flow of qi [气逆 qi4ni4] happens when originally descending qi flows upwards instead. Common symptoms may be cough, asthma, hiccups, belching, nausea, vomiting, and regurgitation.

Sinking of qi [气陷 qi4xian4] occurs when there is a failure in qi’s lifting or holding function, which can lead to visceroptosis, the downward displacement of the abdominal viscera.  In other words, the organs in your middle start to droop down.  

Qi blockage [气闭 qi4bi4] happens when qi that normally exits the body gets blocked inside.

Qi exhaustion [气脱 qi4tuo1] comes about when qi that shouldn’t leave the body disperses outwards.

The functions of Qi
Qi performs several functions to keep you healthy:

1. The promoting function [推动 tui1dong4] - Qi can promote:
  a. the body’s growth and reproductive ability.
  b. each organ and meridian’s physiological ability.
  c. creation and movement of blood and body fluid.

2. The warming function [温煦 wen1xu4] - Qi can:
  a. Maintain body temperature and fight against cold.
  b. Maintain temperature of liquids to assure fluid movement throughout  
      the body.

3. The controlling function [固摄 gu4she4] - Qi can:
  a. Prevent blood from leaving the meridians.
  b. Prevent sweat, urine, saliva and other secretions from leaving the          body unnecessarily.
  c. Prevent essential liquid from leaving the body, e.g. premature                 ejaculation.

4. The protecting function [防御 fang2yu4] - Qi can:
  a. Protect the surface of the body from outside pathogens.
  b. Expel pathogens already in the body and promote recovery.

5. The transformation function [气化 qi4hua4] is a generalized theory which states that changes can come from the movement or action of qi [气机 qi4ji1]. Bascially, moving qi can make things happen. These changes can include production, movement and conversion of blood and fluids.

For information on how Qi, Blood and Fluids interact with each other, please see Qi, Blood and Fluids.

Yin and Yang  Five Elements  Blood  Fluids  Qi, Blood, and Fluids  Essence  Channels/Meridians  Viscera  Diseases and Their Causes  Four examinations  Syndrome Differentiation (Pattern Identification)

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