Qi is a life force — the intelligent consciousness of the cosmos itself. “Mountains, plants, and human emotions all have qi,” explains Ted Kaptchuk, OMD, author of The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine.
“Qi is the basic building block of existence,” adds Megan Odell, LAc, MS, acupuncture lead at the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing. Many TCM practices focus on “building qi” and ensuring it behaves properly to support overall health.
Qi initiates and accompanies all movement, protects and warms the body, and ensures stability. A healthy body has not only enough qi but qi that flows in the right direction. “It needs to be flowing smoothly through the body in the directions it’s supposed to be moving,” says Odell. Nausea might represent rebellious stomach qi, for instance — energy moving up when it’s supposed to move down.
“Qi can get stuck, stagnated, or weak,” adds Di Guan, LAc, DAOM, who practices acupuncture and Chinese medicine at Shén Acupuncture and Meditation Studio in Minneapolis. “Qi stagnation can lead to pain, irritability, anxiety, depression, or poor sleep. Qi weakness or deficiency might show up as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, poor digestion, or fatigue.”
This was excerpted from “How Does Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Support Your Health and Well-Being?” which was published in Experience Life.
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