Chapter VII On Disease Prevention and Health Preservation

Chapter VII    On Disease Prevention and Health
Preservation

Imagine we were born just a few months ago. Our 
bodies are in perfect shape. Our skin is soft and 
milky. We are constantly smiling and worry-free.
We love everyone. We have no enemies and 
everyone loves us. In short, we are happy, healthy, 
and full of energy.

What happened to us since then? We busy ourselves with our pursuits and indulge in various stimulants. We gradually become disappointed with life, with people, with our job, or perhaps we should say, with the entire world. Our health begins to deteriorate. Our energy begins to lag. We become unhappy and frustrated. And we often procrastinate until we become really sick, then see a doctor, take some medicine, or have surgery.

Are you in this kind of situation? Why wait until your condition becomes alarming?

You know, our body is made as a complete, self-sustaining system. Its intricacies and subtleties have not been fully understood by any of us yet. If we follow its natural rhythm, we can stay healthy. So, in order to live a happy, healthy, and meaningful life, we need to listen to our inner voice, live out who we really are, and lead a green, balanced lifestyle. It may sound easier said than done, but as you move ahead in this direction, you will know that it is
worthwhile.

The following are some common sense recommendations and knowledge about how to prevent illness and maintain good health.

Huang Di Nei Jing on healthy living

Huang Di Nei Jing, a Chinese medical classic compiled over two
millennia ago, provides the most treasured guidelines to doctors in Chinese history and common sense knowledge on healthy living for average readers. And its wisdom still rings true today.

How long can people possibly live?

Theoretically, everyone can live to the “natural span of life,” i.e., up to 120 years of age. According to Sun Simiao, the “King of Chinese medicine” in Tang dynasty who lived over 100, “Human life is of paramount importance, more precious than a thousand pieces of gold.”

What roles does the meridian system play in the human body?

The meridian system is the cradle of vitality, the origin of the onset of illnesses, the nest of the progress of the illnesses, and the key to curing a patient. 

Why shouldn’t I overuse my body?

Prolonged exertion of the eye hurts the blood; prolonged reclining hurts the Qi; prolonged sitting hurts the muscle; prolonged standing hurts the bone; prolonged walking hurts the Jin (tendons and ligaments).

Why shouldn’t I be angry? Why should I maintain a good mood?

Anger hurts the liver-related circulation, fear hurts the kidney-related circulation, sadness hurts the lung-related circulation, over-thinking hurts the spleen-related circulation, overjoy hurts the heart-related circulation.

All diseases originate from the disturbance of Qi: anger hastens the Qi, overjoy slows it down, sadness makes it fade, anxiety lowers it, coldness diminishes it, hotness disperses it, fear disorients it, hardworking exhausts it, and overthinking freezes it.

What is healthy living?

In ancient times, people who knew the Tao followed the law of Yin-Yang balancing interactions, applying health preservation methods, restraining themselves in diet and drinking, keeping regular hours, and avoiding exhaustion. Thus they were physically and spiritually healthy lived to the end of their natural lifespan, and passed away at over 100 years of age.

What is unhealthy living?

By contrast, today’s people drink liquor like water, proceed to have
intercourse when drunk, go after desires as normal pursuits, burn themselves out seeking satisfaction and pleasures, and disrupt the body’s normal functioning. Thus they deplete their vital energy, dry up their essence, and age at a mere 50.

What should I do when I get sick?

The first priority is to nurse the Heart, then apply external treatment and dietary therapies, and use medication as the last resort.

What kind of doctor is the best?

A superior ranking healer is able to treat the patient with a future illness; a middle-ranking healer is able to treat the impending illness of the patient; an inferior ranking healer treats only the patient who is ill already.

The best doctor clears away possible problems long before their onset; while those who treat grave or fatal illnesses are the least capable ones. Now, you can practice PaidaLajin and be your own best doctor. 

How can I stay healthy?

Positive Qi inside our bodies will protect us from all kinds of external damaging forces.

Clear yourself of greed and excessive thinking, then the positive Qi will be kept in, and the spirit will remain inside. How can diseases possibly strike?

Why are the spleen and kidneys essential to health and longevity?

The spleen and the kidneys are directly related to Qi, our life energy. And almost all illnesses are associated with deficient spleen and kidney energies.

Chinese medicine advocates nourishing the spleen, stomach, and kidneys to maintain good health and slow down the aging process. Prenatal Qi (vital life energy) is stored in the kidneys, and the spleen absorbs nutrition from the food we eat. A person with abundant kidney energy is energetic, has healthy hair and
bones, good hearing and eyesight, and healthy sexual and reproductive functions; a person with deficient kidney energy is listless and may not have a healthy sex life.

Men are most afraid of kidney deficiency. Nowadays, various kidney drug advertisements encourage men to “be strong.” They give the impression that taking these drugs and supplements will boost the kidney energy and thus sexuality.

In fact, women can suffer more from severe kidney deficiency than men. A woman with deficient kidney energy tends to have gynecological disorders; similarly, a man with deficient kidney energy tends to have prostate disorders.

The essence of “deficiency” is overuse and early aging. Hence, for better disease prevention and health maintenance, we need to know and enhance the kidney’s functions.

The kidneys and the urinary bladder are a pair, and they thrive or wither together. Nourishing one nourishes the other. When stretching on a Lajin bench, the Urinary Bladder meridian hurts the most, and the kidney energy soars as a result.

In addition to boosting the kidney energy, we need to nourish the spleen to better sustain life. A balanced diet nourishes the spleen and stomach. The prenatal Qi in the kidneys is sustained and boosted by nourishment provided by the spleen and stomach; and the spleen and stomach rely on the prenatal Qi to warm up and digest the food. They are interdependent and work together to
sustain life activities.

Many people assume that digestion occurs in the stomach. In fact, the spleen and stomach work together to digest food, and absorb and transport nutrition, similar to how the kidneys and urinary bladder work together to govern the flow of liquids in the body. When the spleen and stomach are discordant, digestion and sleep will be affected.

We need to enhance the spleen and kidney energies in our daily lives, and not wait until they are malfunctioning to treat them. The prenatal Qi in the kidneys can be boosted through proper use, diet, and exercises; the spleen and stomach can be nourished through “work and rest” balance.

How are the spleen and stomach damaged?

In today’s world, many try to satisfy their desire for food and many suffer from spleen and stomach problems, though to varying degrees of severity. We can feel whether the stomach is empty or full, painful or bloated; however, this cannot be felt so acutely when spleen problems are present. In fact, the spleen and stomach is a pair, and when one is injured, the other is affected as well. Moreover, spleen problems are more severe. According to the Five Elements Theory in Chinese medicine, the spleen has the properties of earth, the kidney has the properties of water, and the spleen earth has a prohibiting impact on the kidney water. Hence, when the spleen is malfunctioning, the kidneys will be damaged, and kidney deficiency will in turn induce more diseases.

According to Huang Di Nei Jing, the spleen and stomach, similar to
granaries, are responsible for food intake, absorption, conversion, and distribution of nutrients. They not only include the physical organs of the spleen and stomach, but also encompass the entire digestive system. According to the Five Elements Theory, the Spleen with its properties of earth is in the center, impacts the four elements of wood (liver), fire (heart), metal (lung) and water (kidney), and nourishes every organ and cell in the body. The spleen and stomach are a pair—the stomach receives the food we eat, grinds it into small particles and warms them up; the spleen absorbs various nutrients from these particles, converts them into what the body needs, and transports the right amount of nutrition to wherever it is needed. Hence, the spleen and stomach coordinate to work well.

A spleen-stomach imbalance will affect the absorption, conversion, and distribution of nutrients, and the discharge of wastes and toxins. The internal organs will lack the needed nourishments, their functionality will be gradually weakened, and pathogenic substances such as phlegm and stagnant blood will accumulate. This imbalance will ultimately create a decline in one’s health and
possible early death. 

I often hear people ask vegetarians and those who eat less food, “Do you have enough nutrition? Will you get sick?” If you go to the hospital and conduct a survey, you will find that diseases such as diabetes, and hypertension, and heart, liver, stomach, and kidney problems are associated with too much food intake. Which of these diseases is caused by hunger? What about obesity? Well, you know the answer.

Why are so many overweight? Why do so many of us suffer from spleen and stomach problems? The reason is discordant spleen and stomach; we eat so much that full digestion is not possible. Many people want to lose weight, but they ignore the root cause and assume that they can get rid of extra fat like cutting hair. How can this be successful?

Huang Di Nei Jing states that a healthy person possesses adequate vitality, and the meridians are free of blockages. The vitality is converted from the kidney energy and is essential to sustaining life. The kidney energy initially comes from prenatal essence, and is sustained and enhanced by nutrition from our food. If the spleen and stomach are damaged, there won’t be enough vital energy. That is to say, both prenatal and postnatal influences determine
whether there is abundant vital energy for a healthy life. Compendium of Materia Medica says, “The spleen nourishes all organs and cells in the body. When a person’s spleen is healthy, the heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys will be functioning normally, evil energies will go away, and he or she will have no illnesses.”

Eating nutritious foods is not enough. When foods enter the body, the spleen and stomach have to bear a huge workload. The stomach, which functions well when it is 70% full, is often stuffed with food till 170% full. The poor spleen and stomach have to overwork every day, even when we are asleep. How can we not get sick in the long run?

Eat, eat, and eat! Many torture their spleen and stomach in the name of “enjoying life” and “maintaining good health.” When the normal functioning of the spleen and stomach is disrupted, the kidneys will be affected, and more diseases will be induced.

How can I nourish the spleen and stomach?

For people with spleen and stomach problems, we advise stretching on a Lajin bench for 1–2 time(s) a day, and Paida the universal regions (elbows, knees, hands and feet), the four limbs, and the belly. In this way, the six meridians related to the spleen and stomach will be cleared: the Liver, Spleen, Stomach, Kidney, Gall Bladder, and Urinary Bladder meridians. Paida Zusanli
acupoint along the Stomach meridian regularly. In addition, do meditation and meditative standing. According to Chinese medicine, excessive thinking hurts the spleen. Meditation and meditative standing bring peace of mind and hence
fewer thoughts. They help protect and nourish the spleen and stomach. Zen jogging, Wall Hitting, Waist Swirling, and Tie Qiang Gong exercises can also effectively improve the spleen and stomach functions. Practice them according to your needs.

In addition to PaidaLajin and other self-healing methods, we eat to
nourish the spleen and stomach. There are been many books on eating. Most of them elaborate on how tasty and nutritious foods are good for our health, but rarely about how the nutrition can be absorbed. This is like talking about how good the gasoline is, while disregarding whether the oil tube is free of blockages, or whether the gasoline in the engine can be burnt effectively. For
instance, if the oil tube is blocked, you cannot start the car no matter how high the quality of gasoline in the tank.

The following are our recommendations for healthful eating:

I  Eat staple food
Why should we eat staple food?

The staple food is the main food that we have in order to survive, 
including rice, wheat, and other cereals. According to Chinese medicine, staple food is normally neutral in nature, and is thus the least toxic to the human body. We can eat staple food all year round. And grains have been our main food ever since humanity became a farming civilization. Other foods, such as meats,
fruits, and vegetables are generally not neutral in nature, i.e., they could be cold, cool, warm, or hot in nature. Eating too much of them can do harm to our health, hence they cannot be our staple food. It is more so with medicinal herbs, i.e., they are either hot or cold in nature, and thus they are very toxic and can be
used as medicine to rebalance the Yin-Yang energies. Chinese medicine believes that “medication is more or less toxic.” Do not take medicine unless it is absolutely necessary.

Modern science studies the chemical elements of food, medicine, and
nutrients. It tends to focus on the parts, not the whole. Chinese medicine is
based on the theories of Qi (invisible energy) and Yin-Yang interactions; it is
holistic while covering all the integral parts. Qi is a subtle vibration frequency.
Each plant has a unique Qi, i.e., vibrational frequency. The traditional Chinese
character 藥 (medicine) is composed of 艹 (grass, herbs) and 樂 (music).
Music is a combination of frequencies, and 藥 (medicine) is music from the
frequencies of medicinal herbs. Depending on their different frequencies,
normally staple food is neutral in nature, non-staple food is not neutral in
nature (either cool or warm), and medicinal herbs are far from neutral in nature
(either cold or hot).
Everything in the universe has its own frequency, including matter, colors,
and sounds. In the human body, the heart has a frequency (heartbeat), and
every organ and cell has its own frequency. When these frequencies vibrate
harmoniously as a whole, the human body is healthy and melodious like a
wonderful symphony. Otherwise, the person is sick; there are “noises” amid the
symphony of the human body. When medicinal herbs of different frequencies
enter into the human body, they will form a variety of interference waves, and
affect different cells, organs, and meridians, either strengthening or weakening
their respective frequency. This is what is called in Chinese medicine
“removing the excess and replenishing the deficiency.” Ultimately, the
discordant frequencies (diseases) are regulated, the harmony of all the
frequencies is restored, and Yin-Yang energies are balanced. This is how
medicinal herbs and food work in the human body. Vibration frequency is both
subtle and powerful, and it affects individual parts and the whole. Hence, it has
a more accurate and comprehensive impact on the human body than
biochemical substances. In other words, the frequency of staple food, being
neutral, has the minimum interference on the human body. It is thus the least toxic, and is most suitable for us.
The linear, compartmentalized thinking in scientific study can lead to an incomplete understanding of food and medicine. There aren’t many Western medicines that continue to be used after 100 years; many, if not most, chemically synthetized drugs are removed from market sooner or later because of their side effects. However, in Chinese medicine, the same plants can be taken as foods and medicinal herbs, and Chinese people have been practicing 
the Theory of Homologous Food and Medicine for several millennia. And the efficacy of food and Chinese medicine has been maintained for these millennia.
Many people refuse to eat staple food for fear that having a lot of starch will make them fat. In fact, the real cause of obesity is a blockage of meridians, meaning that the person is sick.

In Chinese medicine, nutrition and toxicity are relative, flexible concepts.
According to the Theory of Homologous Food and Medicine, too little or too
much of them is toxic, whereas a moderate amount is nutritious; moreover, when the foods and medicinal herbs are suitable for a person, they are nutritious, otherwise they are toxic. For instance, arsenic, whose chemical constituents are highly toxic, can be an effective drug in treatment of a certain cancer. In this sense, it is nutritious to the patient. By contrast, if you take too much tasty, nutritious food, it is harmful to your health. The reality is, a person gets sick mainly because he or she eats too much good food, not toxins like arsenic.

II Eat less

Doctors, scientists, and health experts in the East and West have reached a
rare consensus on the amount of food a person is supposed to eat: It is better to
eat less. And it is even better to fast frequently.

Chinese medicine believes that eating less will reduce our energy
consumption that would be used to digest food if we eat much. People who eat less have fewer desires and a peaceful mind, and will be healthy, energetic, and live longer. This is consistent with what is advocated in Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. For millennia, Chinese people have personally experienced
and experimented with this concept.
Initially, some Western scientists experimented on mice. They divided the
mice into three groups, giving them the too much, moderate, and too little food
respectively. The result was that the mice that ate the most food had the most
illnesses and were most short-lived; by contrast, the group that ate the least
food was healthiest and lived the longest. Subsequent experiments on humans
produced similar results.
The extreme form of “eating less” is fasting. Mahatma Gandhi, Father of India, was a lifelong vegetarian and often fasted. Whenever he got sick, he
would stop food intake, and the illness would be self-healed. It worked every
time.
There is a saying in Chinese medicine that “a person can live a long life in
spite of the illnesses he or she has.” Indeed, some people born in poor health
pay attention to dietary regulation and balance in life, and they are able to
enjoy longevity. Whereas many people who are physically strong exploit this
advantage, eat and drink too much, and then become very ill and die early.
American scientists once did an anatomical study on deceased people who
lived over 100 years old. Their findings proved the Chinese saying that many
of those who enjoyed longevity had cancer, heart disease, and various other
common diseases, but they maintained peace of mind and basically kept the
Yin-Yang balance. 
III Become a vegetarian
Many people eat various meat products as their staple food. They eat little
or no rice, wheat, or other cereals. People love meat for nutrition or a variety of
other reasons, especially the pleasure of eating meat—similar to smoking,
drinking, and drug use. Many believe that eating meat is an indispensable part
of a happy life. But there are consequences.
Likewise, people become vegetarian for a variety of reasons: out of
compassion, for better health, or because of environmental concerns. A
vegetarian diet makes the meridians smoother, which is the best nourishment to
the body.
Our physiological structure shows that we are omnivorous, in other words,
we can be either vegetarians or meat eaters. However, from the perspective of
health preservation, vegetarian food is more suitable for us: (1) vegetarian food
is more digestible, (2) carnivorous animals are born to be meat eaters—they
have sharp teeth; their intestines are short so that toxins and wastes can be
rapidly excreted; much gastric acid is secreted to help digest meat. Whereas
herbivores have more even teeth; their intestines are long and winding, so when
they eat meat, the toxins and wastes cannot be excreted easily.
Our teeth and intestines are similar to those of the herbivores; and we
cannot produce so much gastric acid to digest meat. Eating meat thus increases
the workload of the spleen and stomach, and can easily lead to stomach
problems. Moreover, the meat from mass industrial production is very toxic.
Some girls have menarche too early partly because of the hormones in the meat
they eat. Chemical feeds make the animals grow fat and mature quickly, and
when people eat the meat, they become part of the vicious cycle. Early maturity
leads to early aging and death.
The hospital mirrors the causes and effects of illness. If you go for an
investigation there, you will find that many get sick because they eat too much,
and they eat meat. I met an old couple once that both suffered from diabetes,
hypertension, and hyperlipemia. They walked with much difficulty because of
leg pain, and they ate meat every day. I advised them to go vegetarian, or at
least eat less meat and more cereals, and practice PaidaLajin for three hours a
day. They did it for half a year, and their pains and diseases were gone. There
are numerous instances like this.
Once, while chatting with a friend, I said, “Herbivores have more strength
than carnivorous animals.”
He countered, “Aren’t the lions and tigers strong?”
I replied, “Indeed they are strong. But their strength is mostly explosive
force and cannot last long. That is why they hide for hours waiting for a perfect
opportunity and then dash to catch their prey. You see, almost all animals with
the best stamina are herbivores, such as cattle, horses, donkeys, elephants, etc.
Besides, carnivorous animals get their nutrition from herbivores, whose source
is still vegetarian.”
“Explosive force is also important for humans,” he said.
To that I explained, “For a sprinter or a weightlifter, explosive force is 
indeed very important. But you are not an athlete. Isn’t your sex life more
important to you than sprinting and weight lifting? Which is more essential in
your sex life, stamina or explosive force?”
On hearing this, my friend burst into laughter. And his wife laughed even
harder.
So, why not try vegetarian food for your health, for our environment, out
of compassion, or for religious reasons? If you cannot be a vegan, it is good to
mainly eat vegetarian food. At least it is good for your own health.
IV Eat warm food and stay warm
We should eat warm food, because most diseases are cold induced. It has
two connotations:
(1) We should have food whose temperature is above the body
temperature. If you have food lower than the body temperature, the body’s
energy is consumed to raise the temperature in the spleen and stomach in order
to digest the food and absorb nutrition. Coldness can lead to spleen, stomach,
and intestine problems.
(2) We should avoid food that is cool or cold in nature. According to
Chinese medicine, food can be cold, cool, neutral, warm, or hot in nature. If
you eat much food that is cold in nature (such as bitter gourd, green tea, cool
herbal tea, etc.), you can get sick even if you warm it up.
Many people with excessive internal fire like to eat food cool or cold in
nature, and have cool or cold food and drinks. In effect, excessive internal fire
is cold induced. When multiple meridians are blocked, the toxins and wastes in
the body cannot be easily excreted through the urine, stool, and skin pores. As
a result, acne, eczema, toothache, itchiness, and other symptoms will crop up.
Excessive internal fire will soon disappear if you practice PaidaLajin to
clear meridian blockages, and drink ginger and jujube tea to boost your energy
level. Some people don’t like to drink the tea; they even avoid the smell of it.
This is not because the body is too hot, rather it is so cold that the coldness of
the spleen and stomach is fighting against the heat in the tea. Normally, after
PaidaLajin, they will come to enjoy the tea.
Many overweight people sweat a lot and love cold beverages. In fact, the
real cause of obesity is too much cold; the heat is an illusion. Cold drinks lead
to Qi deficiency. When the Qi cannot be kept inside the body, the Yang energy
(the heat) will easily evaporate. An overweight person is constantly sweating,
not because there is too much heat in the body, but because the body is too
weak to keep the heat inside. Indeed, an obese person may feel hot, but is cold
inside. The same is true with people who have acne on the face.
Drinking cold beverages can, in the long run, contribute to coldness in the
spleen and stomach. Then, food is not thoroughly digested, and the undigested
food and toxins cannot be fully excreted. They will accumulate in the body in
the form of fat, and toxins in the blood will induce more diseases, particularly
heart disease. Many obese people are unaware of their own heart disease. When
slapped on the inner elbows, they will feel much pain, and colorful patches of
Sha will come out. These are indicators that they have heart disease. When the 
skin at the inner elbows breaks and blood seeps out during Paida, it is
indicative of severe heart problem, a result of cold-induced meridian blockages.
Many women suffer from headache, menstrual pain, irregular
menstruation, cold hands and feet, weak, sore, and painful waist and knees,
body weakness and fatigue, etc. Apart from psychological pressure, most of
these problems are cold induced, for instance, too many fruits, cold drinks, ice
creams, and raw vegetables, too few cereals and other staple foods, and too
little exposure to the sunshine. Some women with many cold-induced diseases
should bathe in the sun more often; however, they choose to wear sunglasses
and hide under an umbrella to avoid the glaring sunshine hurting their eyes or
tanning their skin. In fact, the eyes need some sunshine. If tears come out, it is
a detoxifying, healing reaction. The skin, more so than the eyes, needs sunshine.
If the skin gets a bit dark, even itchy and allergic, these are also detoxifying,
healing reactions.
Some women love fashion more than warmth. They like to wear clothes
that expose the shoulders, waist, belly button, legs, and feet. Such clothing is
very harmful to a woman’s health. When a woman stays in an air-conditioned
office wearing a skirt, stockings and sandals, all the meridians along the legs
and feet are exposed in the cold air. These include the Liver, Spleen, Stomach,
Kidney, Gall Bladder, and Urinary Bladder meridians, and they go up to the
belly, uterus, and all internal organs. When all these are affected by the cold,
how can she not fall sick? In fact, infertility in many women is caused by
uterine cold.
It is very harmful for a laboring woman to stay in an air-conditioned room
with a very low temperature. It is even worse for a woman who undergoes
Cesarean section. The cold air-con air, surgery, and anesthesia during childbirth
hurts her Qi and blood, and the infusions after childbirth will inject more cold
into her already weak body.
Infusions, antibiotics, and vaccination give the mother and child more
cold, potentially causing them many pains and diseases in their entire life.
Many people carry fruits cold in nature to visit the sick. It could aggravate their
coldness in the body. Natural delivery is best for the mother and child; for a
woman after childbirth or a weak patient, air-con, fruits, and infusions should
be avoided. Obesity, hemorrhoids, postpartum depression, and other symptoms
are related to the cold that gets into the body during prenatal and postpartum
periods. Normally, a woman who undergoes Cesarean section recovers more
slowly than a woman who has natural delivery. This is because the surgery and
cold hurt the Qi and blood more.
It is a natural law that things expand when hot and contract when cold.
We humans are part of nature. Coldness leads to meridian blockages, which in
turn obstructs Qi and blood flow and induces pains and diseases. In Chinese
medicine, coldness and heat are respectively Yin and Yang in nature. A
person’s life from birth to death is a process of rising Yin energy and falling
Yang energy. With the declining Yang energy come more and more pains and
diseases. The older a person gets, the more afraid of cold he/she becomes. This
is why people like to go to sunny places for holidays, and many move to 
warmer places after retirement. When we are more conscious of the hazards of
coldness, we will avoid food and drinks cool or cold in nature and in
temperature. Zhang Zhongjing, Sage of Chinese medicine, wrote Discussion of
Cold-Induced Disorders. Note that he didn’t write about “heat-induced
disorders.”
Aren’t there heat-induced diseases? Yes, there are, but they are very rare.
They are rare even in tropical regions. Heat stroke is one example. However,
nowadays not many people in developed countries work long hours under the
scorching sun. When people stay longer hours in a constant temperature
environment artificially created by air conditioning, they are isolated from
nature and their immunity will thus decline. Now people in tropical areas are
suffering from more and more cold-induced problems, such as arthritis,
diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, lower back and leg pain, and other
ailments. In some places (for instance, Hong Kong), the temperature in the
subway, hotels, and shopping malls is kept at or below 20 degrees Celsius all
the year round. Just imagine how many pains and diseases are thus man-made!
And it is the result of government policy. Why go against nature, waste so
much energy, create diseases, and pollute the environment?
In a word, to preserve good health, stay warm and eat warm food; avoid
cold food and drinks, and reduce your reliance on air-con. Of course, it is good
fun to occasionally have an ice cream or drink some beer. If we can replace
cold beverages with warm ginger and jujube tea as a daily drink, there will be
much fewer patients and overweight people.
How to fast?
Fasting is to go without food for some time. It enables the spleen and
stomach to rest more thoroughly. Since ancient times, people have developed
various methods of fasting. However, many are too complex and mysterious.
What we teach is very simple—You don’t need any special preparations. As
long as you feel that you are ready for it, you can fast for 3–7 days. When the
Heart, King of bodily organs, decides to fast, all the internal organs will
collaborate to make it happen. During the fasting period, you can drink warm
water or ginger and jujube tea. This is intermittent fasting. In strict fasting,
intake of water is also avoided.
In our 7-day workshop, there is a 3-day fasting period, and most people
don’t feel hungry. Many participants feel great at the end of the period and go
on to fast for a few more days. In addition, we spend eight hours a day doing
Paida, Lajin, meditation, Zen jogging, Wall Hitting, Waist Swirling, and Tie
Qiang Gong exercises. The energy boosted through these activities can burn up
many forms of waste and pathogenic substances, and convert them into what
the body needs. It is like garbage power generation. This is one reason why
people don’t feel hungry when fasting. PaidaLajin during the fasting period
helps to detoxify, slim down, self-heal diseases, and supply energy to the body.
Some people experience various healing reactions during the fasting
period, such as fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. These are good 
reactions in the self-healing process. It is a better effect to eject vomit of
various colors. This is because the toxins and wastes in the lower part of the
body can be easily excreted through urine and stool, whereas the toxins and
wastes in the upper part of the body are hidden in the lungs, spleen, stomach,
esophagus, and respiratory tract. These cannot be discharged easily. Vomiting
during fasting and PaidaLajin is one of the best ways to get rid of them. To
relieve most healing reactions, Paida the inner elbows, Neiguan acupoint and
the entire inner side of each arm; to relieve stomach ache, Paida Zusanli
acupoint as well; to deal with more severe healing crises, Paida the chest and
the back as well.
If you do not want to fast, eating less can also help reduce the workload of
the spleen and the stomach. Some people like to urge their family and friends
to eat more. This is doing harm to their loved ones. Good food can induce more
diseases than toxic drugs.
Some people with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), brain ischemia, or
stomach problems have to eat something when they feel hungry. And they take
candies wherever they go. Such people, more so than others, should fast—they
not only have stomach problems, but heart disease as well, which they may not
be aware of. When they feel dizzy and hungry as a result of ischemia and
hypoglycemia, Paida their inner elbows and Neiguan acupoint, and the
symptoms will be relieved or gone very soon. Many stomach problems and
hypoglycemic syndromes that are not cured after prolonged treatment are
self-healed with PaidaLajin, because the key is to self-heal the heart disease
behind these superficial symptoms.
Why drink less water?
This is contrary to the popular belief that drinking plenty of water helps
detoxify. Well, Chinese medicine advocates this principle: drink water only
when you are thirsty, and drink it warm.
Some people drink much water every day even if they are not thirsty.
They assume that it will help detoxify and make them look better. And some
say it is too late if you drink water when you feel thirsty. Such knowledge may
sound plausible, but is very harmful.
It is true that a large proportion of the human body is water and that water
can help detoxify. However, the pre-condition is no blockages in meridians. Qi
travels in the body through meridians and sustains the circulation of both water
and blood. We drink water, and discharge urine and sweat. This shows that Qi
has treated the water in our body and its nature has been changed. In essence, it
is Qi (not water) that helps detoxification. It is Qi that takes water to all internal
organs and cells; and it is Qi that determines where the water flows, how much
water is retained in the blood and bodily fluids, and how much is excreted as
urine and sweet. Hence, where there are meridian blockages, Qi flow will be
blocked, and water flow in the body will be affected as well. A dead person has
no Qi, and water poured into the dead body does not flow, and will not be

changed into urine or sweat. 

The process of turning water into urine consumes energy. PaidaLajin
boosts our energy level; and drinking less water saves energy. If you drink
gallons of water every day, in the long run you could suffer heart, kidney,
urinary bladder diseases, and malfunctioning of other organs.
Moreover, water is Yin in nature, and icy cold water is even more so.
Drinking much cool or cold water depletes the body’s Yang energy. When the
sun is rising in the morning, the Yang energy in the body is also rising. Do not
drink much water in the morning; in particular, do not drink cool or cold water,
because the Yang energy will be cooled down just when it is starting to rise.
According to Chinese medicine, the Heart has the properties of fire. Drinking a
lot of cool or cold water in the morning puts out the Heart fire. Many people
with this habit have heart disease but are unaware of it.
The biggest characteristic of heart disease is that it is hidden deep inside.
Normally it cannot be detected during a medical checkup unless you are dying.
Sometimes, when a person with a heart attack is sent to the hospital, the disease
will not be detected. Some people die in the hospital on the day of the checkup,
but the report indicates nothing wrong with the heart.
How do you diagnose whether a person with the habit of drinking cool
water has heart disease or not? Paida the inner elbows. If there is pain and Sha,
then he/she has heart disease. Pain is a more accurate indicator than Sha. The
more pain a person feels, the more severe the heart disease is. A person with a
healthy heart won’t feel much pain when being slapped on the inner elbows.
Why do some people often feel thirsty? Because they are sick; the
meridians are blocked. Normally, multiple meridians are blocked, and that is
why diseases are mostly complex. For instance, a person with heart disease
usually has disorders of other internal organs; almost all diabetic patients have
heart disease, and they are always thirsty. When a healthy person feels thirsty,
he/she drinks some water and the thirst is gone. But a patient can still feel
hungry and thirsty although she or he constantly eats food and drinks water.
This indicates that the meridians are blocked, the food and water are not
digested and converted into Qi, or the Qi is blocked and cannot arrive where it
is supposed to go. In a word, the cause is meridian blockage. The more blocked
the meridians are, the more a person tends to eat and drink, and the more
energy is thus consumed. This vicious cycle goes on and on, until the last day.
Some people suffer from edema: a swollen face, swollen eyes, legs and
feet, or even the whole body is swollen. This is due to drinking water when not
thirsty or drinking too much water, which leads to malfunctioning of the
kidneys and urinary bladder, which govern the waterways in the body. For a
person with deficient kidney energy, it’s best not to drink when not thirsty. To
relieve edema caused by too much water intake, stretch on a Lajin bench,
Paida the universal regions (elbows, knees, hands and feet) and all along the
four limbs. Then the edema will be gone.
A pregnant woman had systemic edema, but avoided medicine for the
sake of her baby. She slapped her limbs for a whole day, much Sha came out,
and the edema was all gone that day. Three days later, she gave birth to a
healthy baby. 
Now I often go for a few days without drinking water, but I don’t feel
thirsty. There is enough water in the air and food to meet my physical needs. It
is more so in humid regions—you don’t have to drink much water, because the
skin can breathe. But if I dine out at a restaurant, I will feel very thirsty after
the meal. This is the result of monosodium glutamate, too much salt, and other
chemical seasonings in the food. So it is best to avoid them and eat natural
foods.
Drinking cold water or beverages before and during a meal, and between
meals depletes Yang energy, hurts the stomach, and results in digestive and
other health problems. A health expert promotes a dietary therapy that features
separation of food and water. This is based on the interactions of Yin-Yang
energies and Five Elements in Chinese medicine, i.e., avoid water (Yin in
nature), which can interfere with the work of Yang energy in the spleen and
stomach.
Moreover, when a person is swimming, the body absorbs much cold
dampness through the skin pores. It can induce pains and diseases. For a person
over 30, the Yang energy in the body is on the decline. Hence, it is OK to swim
occasionally; but if it becomes a regular or daily exercise, it is not good for
health in the long run. Some participants at our workshops have severe pains
but do not know the cause, and they have much Sha during Paida. Later we
find during our chat that they swim every day. Swimming in itself is not bad;
however, the water can be too cold.
Why shouldn’t I take supplements?
Medicine is taken to treat diseases because it is not neutral in nature and is
thus used to rebalance the Yin-Yang energies. All medicines have toxic side
effects. If the diagnosis is wrong, the drugs prescribed can do more harm than
good; even if the diagnosis is correct, the drugs prescribed will have toxic side
effects. The same is true with various supplements that people can buy without
a doctor’s prescription. Most supplements, similar to drugs, are not neutral in
nature, and they have side effects. Many medical institutions have studied them
and drawn similar conclusions—taking too many supplements induces many
diseases.
Sometimes, supplements can be more dangerous to us than prescribed
medicine. They can be readily purchased, and are widely used in health
enhancement and disease prevention. Many supplements are extracts that are
industrially produced. They are not neutral in nature, i.e., they are toxic. How
do you know that the nutrients in them are exactly what your body needs? How
do you know that these nutrients are well absorbed and delivered to where they
are needed? When these nutrients enter the human body, they can be easily
“eaten” by the pathogenic life forms; instead of nourishing your health, they
could potentially aggravate existing diseases and induce new ones. The
pathogenic substances include tumors, cancers, sputum, bacteria,
inflammations, and other alien life forms in the body. They need nutrition to
grow. 
I have discussed with doctors and nutrition experts the influence of
medicine and supplements on the human body. I would often ask them some
key questions: Are you sure that the medicine and nutrition from the
supplements will reach the designated location in the body at a specific time?
How can you be sure of it? How can you prevent the medicine and supplements
from damaging the healthy organs and cells? Up to now, these simple questions
cannot be answered. Hence, the safest and most effective way is to return the
job of diagnosis and healing to the Universal Life Force.
Although supplements are generally less toxic than drugs, long-term use
can be poisonous. Some people, after taking vitamins and calcium tablets for
decades, are found to still be deficient in them. What is worse, some people
who take a lot of calcium tablets develop kidney stones, and the main
ingredient of these stones is calcium.
The human body can digest natural, organic food, and absorb the nutrition
better. Having too many extracts (including those from natural foods) will
damage the liver, spleen, stomach, and kidneys. Some people take drugs and
supplements in order to maintain normal blood pressure and blood glucose
levels. However, instead of curing these illnesses, more new diseases are
created. When drugs and supplements enter the body, whether they are
nutritious or toxic, they will enter internal organs and cells, causing
drug-induced diseases and burdening the digestive and excretory systems.
Many old people with leg pains are diagnosed with calcium deficiency
and degenerative, irreversible diseases. They are prescribed drugs and
supplements with calcium in them. However, after taking them for years, their
symptoms are not improved, and some of them become worse. When they stop
taking these drugs and supplements, and practice PaidaLajin instead, the leg
pain is relieved or disappears, and checkup result shows no calcium deficiency.
An old saying goes, “running water is never stale.” Where there are
blockages in the meridian system, it is like running water stagnating. If you
supply nutrition, more germs, mosquitoes, and other insects will grow in the
stale water. When a person is cleared of meridian blockages, the absorption of
nutrition and excretion of wastes and toxins will be completed naturally. This is
why self-healing is the best way of diagnosis, healing, and disease prevention.
The PaidaLajin self-healing method involves no drug use, and it does not have
a specific target. The simple exercises stimulate our self-healing mechanism to
find the targets (diagnose) and induce biochemical changes in vivo, optimizing
hormones and enhancing immunity.
When we take nutritious food after the meridian blockages are removed,
the nutrients will be thoroughly absorbed. The question is, what food is
nutritious? Natural foods, of course. Of the natural foods, the cereals are the
best. They are neutral in nature, and can be eaten all year round. Non-staple
foods such as meats and processed foods are “supplements.” Don’t eat a lot of
fruits and green vegetables, because they are mostly cool or cold in nature.
Human civilization has proven over the millennia that eating cereals provides
us enough nutrition.
In a word, supplements are mostly non-neutral in nature, and are thus 
toxic. Instead of nourishing our body, they provide nutrition to pathogenic life
forms. The best nutrition comes from natural foods, particularly the staple
foods. After the meridian blockages are cleared through PaidaLajin, nutritious
foods can better nourish our health and remove pathogenic substances.
Why do both men and women suffer from kidney deficiency?
Kidneys resemble the shape of horse beans. According to Western
medicine, they are organs of the urinary system, and are in charge of urinary
secretion and metabolism of water and fluids in the body. Problems with the
kidneys include nephropyelitis, glomerulonephritis (GN), kidney stones, and
renal failure.
In Chinese medicine, the Kidney includes the physical kidneys and the
functions associated with them. A person’s hair, ears, bones, teeth and energy
level are closely associated with the Kidney. It stores the prenatal Qi, and
provides energy for a person’s birth and growth, and the functioning of internal
organs. In addition to regulating the metabolism of water and bodily fluids, the
Kidney has urinary and reproductive functions (in agreement with Western
medicine knowledge), and it is involved in nervous, endocrine, and respiratory
functions, as well as energy metabolism. It explains why both men and women
tend to suffer from kidney deficiency.
Kidney deficiency refers to weakening kidney energy and functions. It
covers a wide scope. Understanding kidney deficiency well helps us prevent
illnesses and maintain good health. Kidney deficiency can be manifested as the
following symptoms:
(1) Sexual dysfunction. In a man, it can manifest as impotence, soft penis,
spermatorrhea, premature ejaculation, and infertility. In a woman, it can
manifest as constipation, menstrual disorders, poor uterine growth, decreased
sexual desire, infertility, etc.
(2) Premature aging. It can manifest as backache, osteoporosis,
forgetfulness, leg pain, hair loss, hearing loss, loose teeth, poorer eyesight, and
premature graying hair.
The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are related to declining kidney
energy. According to Chinese medicine, the Kidney stores the essence, and
essence produces bone marrow, which nourishes the bones and gathers in the
brain. With enough kidney energy, a person’s bones are strong and the brain
works well; otherwise the person will suffer from bone loss and forgetfulness.
(3) Excretory dysfunction. This can manifest as edema, constipation,
urgent, frequent, and incomplete urination. Constipation often induces anal
fissure and hemorrhoids. Although constipation is caused by dysfunction of the
large intestines, the root cause is still kidney deficiency, because the Kidney
governs the excretion of urine and stool.
(4) Headache, insomnia, irritation, mood swings, unknown fatigue, lack of
energy, waist pain, soreness and stiffness. Some people call it “Fatigue
Syndrome.”
(5) Fear of cold or heat. In Chinese medicine, the Kidney has Yin energy,
which nourishes the bodily fluids; and Yang energy, which is the source of Yang
energy in the entire body. When a person is deficient in Kidney Yang energy, he
or she has cold limbs and is afraid of cold; when a person is deficient in Kidney
Yin energy, he or she is afraid of heat, and has low fever, night sweats, or hot
palms and soles.
Why does kidney deficiency induce a woman’s mood swings?
Nowadays, there is a surge in gynecological disorders, which are
associated with the blockages in the Heart, Liver, Spleen, and Kidney
meridians, and malfunctioning of these organs. Problems with the Heart are the
fundamental cause. All illnesses originate from the Heart. All pressures and
negative emotions come from the Heart. Therefore, nurse the Heart first and
foremost. Further analysis reveals the connection with the Kidney. The Heart
has the properties of fire, and the Kidney has the properties of water. A person
suffers mood swings when the Heart and Kidney energies are discordant,
meaning that the fire and water are unbalanced. With enough Kidney water,
excessive Heart fire can be put out; if there isn’t enough Kidney water, the
Heart fire continues to flare up to the brain. Then the person has mood swings
and all kinds of thoughts, and cannot sleep well.
A woman’s kidney energy reaches its peak at 28, after which it will
decline gradually. The kidney functions will weaken, but there are no organic
diseases yet. And she will manifest symptoms of kidney deficiency. When a
man finds his wife very moody, don’t assume that the mood swings originate
from the Heart; another important cause is kidney deficiency.
A woman’s kidney deficiency can be manifested as the following
symptoms: insomnia, irritation, anxiety, suspicion, mood swings, hair loss, low
libido, poor memory, impaired concentration, irregular menstruation, or cold
hands and feet. In a word, she feels uncomfortable all over. She either lacks
energy, or the energy is out of control. These are menopausal symptoms:
physiological and psychological discomforts caused by hormonal changes. I
call it “Early Menopause Syndrome” when a woman has these symptoms
before menopause.
When a woman with kidney deficiency experiences the tug-of-water
between the Heart fire and Kidney water, her body is turned into a battlefield.
Disharmonious body and mind lead to mood swings, which will in turn induce
more illnesses. This is how the vicious cycle runs.
We all know that when a person is sick, he or she should nurse the Heart,
and thus ease their mood. When a woman is unhappy, the Heart fire keeps
burning and can induce many diseases. The question is, how to nurse the Heart?
It is very good if psychologists, chicken soup, and religious beliefs can help
nurse the Heart; if these have failed, try to extinguish the fire internally. And
the best extinguisher is Kidney water. Boost the kidney energy, and the Kidney
water will extinguish excessive Heart fire. With enough kidney energy, the
heart and kidney energies are balanced, thus contributing to physical and

psychological health. 

A healthy person is a balanced person. If we know how to boost kidney
energy, our family life will be more harmonious.
How can I boost my energy?
If you feel weak, fatigued, and irritable, have insomnia, headaches, and
other discomforts, you may be found with no disease in a medical checkup at a
hospital of Western medicine. However, a doctor of Chinese medicine will say
that you are suffering from “Yin-Yang imbalance,” “spleen dampness,” “kidney
deficiency,” “excessive internal fire,” “heart-kidney imbalance,”
“spleen-stomach imbalance,” or other malfunctions of the meridian system.
There are blockages in the meridian system, but your health condition has not
yet deteriorated to organic diseases. For people with chronic diseases or in
sub-health condition, the most common diagnosis is “kidney deficiency” or “Qi
and blood deficiency.”
In fact, kidney deficiency is an evitable part of a person’s life cycle. As we
get older, the functions of the internal organs will weaken. The question is, how
can the weakening be slowed?
Many people assume that since the kidney energy comes from inborn
energy, they can do nothing about whether it is strong or weak. The good news
is that we can make efforts to boost the kidney energy, whether it has been
insufficient from birth, or is overused in our life. However, at the mention of
nourishing the kidneys, people will invariably think of eating nutritious foods,
and taking various drugs and supplements.
If drugs and supplements can boost the kidney energy, then doctors and
rich, powerful people should be the healthiest and live the longest. The reality
is, the kings in history mostly live a very short life. And more doctors than
average people get sick. The suicide rate of doctors is more than double that of
the general population. The suicide rate is particularly high among
psychologists. One reason is doctors are more reliant on drugs, and they are
more deeply affected by the toxic side effects of medication, because almost all
drugs do damage to the liver, spleen, stomach, and kidneys. Non-medical
persons cannot prescribe themselves drugs, and they are more reliant on
supplements. The various supplements are on the market like a fashion show:
narcotics, aphrodisiacs, hormone drugs, beauty products, nutritional
supplements, kidney-nourishing drugs, and more. I call it “the chaos of
boosting the kidney energy.”
The right way to boost kidney energy is to eat and exercise properly. The
questions are how to eat and exercise properly. Follow our advice on eating and
drinking, and practice the following exercises:
I PaidaLajin
PaidaLajin, particularly Lajin on a standard bench, is the first “secret”
therapy we recommend for boosting your energy.
PaidaLajin has helped many people improve and self-heal obesity,
diabetes, depression, hypertension, heart disease, cold limbs, color spots, 
urinary problems, Alzheimer's disease, prostate disorders, gynecological
disorders, lower back and leg pain, and other disorders. All these symptoms
and diseases are associated with deficient kidney energy.
Many men are more interested in a “by-product” of PaidaLajin: boosting
the sexual function. Some ask me in a mysterious tone, “Why is PaidaLajin so
effective?”
“What effect?” I ask.
“Spontaneous morning erection. I experienced it in my 20s, and then it
stopped for decades. Now I can feel it every morning.”
How does PaidaLajin boost energy?
(1) Re-read Chapter II Theories of Self-Healing with PaidaLajin, and
you will find that the greatest benefit of PaidaLajin is that it boosts the Yang
energy. Clearing meridian blockages boosts a person’s Yang energy, thus their
vitality.
(2) When you stretch on a Lajin bench, normally the Urinary Bladder
meridian along the back of each leg hurts the most. Because it is paired with
the Kidney meridian, Lajin thus boosts the kidney energy and the Yang energy
of the entire body.
(3) Unlike medicine, which has a specific target, PaidaLajin simply
stimulates the self-healing mechanism to remove the excess and replenish the
deficiency. When the Kidney and Urinary Bladder meridians are cleared of
blockages, the waterways in the body can get rid of more wastes and dampness.
(4) Lajin in a reclining posture stimulates the Liver, Spleen, and Kidney
meridians along the inner side of each leg, which are associated with the body’s
urinary and reproductive functions. When the Spleen meridian is cleared of
blockages, it will supply the kidneys with more subtle energy; the Liver
meridian directly goes through the male genitals, and its erection and proper
functioning relies on sufficient Qi and blood supply.
(5) When practicing Lajin in a reclining posture, the arms are stretched
backward. This stimulates the Lung, Heart, Pericardium, Big and Small
Intestine meridians, and is very beneficial to the Qi and blood flow of the heart
and lungs. People with heart, lung, and respiratory problems tend to have
discounted sexual quality of life, and some even get breathless. Better heart and
lung functions contribute to enhanced kidney functions; and smooth Big and
Small Intestine meridians contributes to better digestion and consequently more
nourishment to the kidneys.
(6) Paida the universal regions (elbows, knees, hands and feet), the entire
four limbs and the spine. It is a direct stimulation to the 14 main meridians of
the body. It can rapidly boost the Yang energy. Then Paida the head, chest,
belly, back and buttocks. This way, the entire body is covered in “carpet
bombing” Paida. All the meridians, acupoints, internal organs and cells are
stimulated, and the spleen and kidney energies are boosted rapidly.
(7) Paida on the head and face can boost the energy of the entire body, as
six Yang meridians go up to the head, and the health of the internal organs is
reflected on the face. We recommend Paida in the following sequence: top of
the head, left and right sides of the head, front and back sides of the head, neck, 
eyes (eye sockets), cheeks, mouth and ears. The Stomach meridian goes
through the cheeks (Spleen meridian – mouth; Lung meridian – nose; Kidney
meridian – ears; Liver meridian – eyes; Gall Bladder meridian – left and right
sides of the head; Urinary Bladder meridian – front and back sides of the head
and the neck). While patting the eyes (eye sockets) and the cheeks, the nose is
also being stimulated. You can slap all these parts or choose to focus on certain
parts, for instance, Paida the ears more if you have ear and kidney problems. In
our workshop, each morning the participants spend over an hour patting all
these parts.
II Waist Swirling
Waist Swirling is easy to learn and produces quick results. You can
practice it anytime anywhere. And it is loved by men and women, old and
young: It boosts the kidney energy, and helps relieve urinary, digestive,
reproductive, and gynecological disorders, including cystitis, prostatitis, and
constipation. It can also help lose weight at the most obese parts of a person’s
body: the belly, waist, and buttocks.
How to do it?
(1) Stand with your feet apart the width of the shoulders, with your toes
clinging tightly to the ground. Slightly bend your torso forward.
(2) Bend your elbows at about 90 degrees, and place your hands below the
belly button, with your palms facing inward. Stretch open your fingers very
hard and make your thumbs and index fingers form an empty square. This way,
your shoulders won’t move easily during the exercise.
(3) With the spine at the center, make your buttocks and thus your waist
swirl to the left, back, right, and front sides. This finishes a complete
360-degree circle. While swirling the waist, your shoulders, elbows and hands
remain in their respective positions. Swirl 20 times, and then change to the
other direction and swirl another 20 times. Continue like this.
(4) During the exercise, open your mouth slightly to inhale and exhale
together with the nose.
Normally, after practicing it for a few minutes, you will feel the waist and
hips beginning to ache, and the spine getting warmer and warmer. Do it for
5–15 minutes a day, and your overall health will improve gradually.
Note:
(1) In the beginning, the most common mistake is that the fingers are not
stretched out hard. Then the shoulders are not fixed firmly and will swirl along
with the hips. Stretch fingers wide open and steady the shoulders, and only
swirl the waist and hips. This way, the kidney energy will be enhanced quickly.
(2) The toes need to cling tightly to the ground. This helps fix the body,
absorb energy from the Earth, and clear meridian blockages on the feet.
III Tie Qiang Gong
This is a secret therapy to boost kidney energy. Within a few minutes’ 
practice, the waist, the kidneys inside, and the entire spine will be warmed up.
How to do it?
(1) Stand facing a wall. Set your feet apart the width of your shoulders.
Make the tip of your nose and the tips of your toes touch the wall.
(2) Squat slowly with the tip of your nose touching the wall. Squat all the
way down until the legs are bent and folded together. Hug the legs with your
arms.
(3) Stand up slowly with the tip of your nose touching the wall, until you
stand up straight.
(4) Repeat the same excise.
A man over 70 suffered from fatigue, tinnitus, prostatitis, kidney
deficiency, and persistent insomnia. He tried many treatments, but all to no
avail. Then he got to know Tie Qiang Gong and began to practice it every
morning and evening, starting with 3 times and gradually doing 81 times per
session. In less than two months, his hearing and prostate problems were gone,
and his sleep was much better.
It is even better effect to practice Tie Qiang Gong together with
PaidaLajin and Waist Swirling.
Note:
(1) Those with deficient kidney energy may lack the strength to do this
properly. Loss of balance and falling to the ground can result. A beginner can
move the feet away from the wall to keep balance, squat, and stand up slowly.
Make sure the spine is straight and the body is well balanced.
(2) There is no limit to how many times a person should practice the
exercise. You can begin with 9 times, and gradually add multiples of 9, to 18,
27, 36, etc.
IV Wall Hitting
Wall Hitting is a secret therapy derived from T’ai Chi. For many people,
T’ai Chi can be too difficult to learn. So we just practice the simple Wall
Hitting. And like Paida, persistent practice makes perfect health.
Philosophy and Effect
(1) Similar to PaidaLajin, Wall Hitting can help heal many pains and
diseases, but it is not a guaranteed cure for all. The back and the buttocks are
hit, with the spine at the center. People with deficient kidney energy will feel
the waist area weak and cold; and meditators can feel waist pain and soreness.
Wall Hitting is often a good self-healing choice.
(2) From the perspective of Chinese medicine, Wall Hitting stimulates the
Du meridian along the spine and the Urinary Bladder meridian on either side of
it. The energy thus enhanced goes up the Du meridian to the head. When the
body leaves the wall, the energy goes down the Ren meridian along the front
middle of the torso. When you hit the wall once, the energy flow completes a
full cycle in the body. Because the urinary bladder is paired with the kidneys, 
stimulating the Urinary Bladder meridian helps enhance kidney functions.
Moreover, stimulating the acupoints along the Urinary Bladder meridian helps
to heal disorders of the internal organs, as these acupoints are linked to the
internal organs.
(3) From the perspectives of Qi Gong, T’ai Chi, and Chinese medicine,
Wall Hitting creates an energy field around the internal organs and the entire
body. The energy is both inside and outside of the body, regulating the
Yin-Yang balance and interactions of the internal organs. A T’ai Chi
practitioner aims not for greater physical strength, but for a higher energy level.
Similarly, we can practice Wall Hitting to boost our energy. A T’ai Chi master
once said, “Wall Hitting creates a protective shield around us. It is particularly
useful for improving stomach and intestine functions, and facilitating bowel
movement.”
(4) From the perspective of Western medicine, Wall Hitting stimulates all
the internal organs, and the body will produce many stem cells and endocrine
secretions such as insulin, endorphin, and dopamine, that the body needs for
self-healing. It also creates a healing vibration that impacts all the organs and
cells, thus helping to clear acids and wastes in the body, facilitate cell
activation and regeneration, enhance immune, urinary and reproductive
functions, and heal diseases either directly or indirectly.
(5) From the perspective of anatomy, the entire spine vibrates in Wall
Hitting, which helps to adjust the dislocated joints, tendons, ligaments and
other soft tissues connected with the spine, and to relieve their pressure on the
nerves. It has the benefits of both bone setting and stretching.
(6) Because the spinal cord is linked to the brain, Wall Hitting mainly
stimulates the spine and consequently all the nerves, meridians, and blood
vessels associated with the brain. Thus is very helpful for improving
cerebrovascular diseases.
(7) Wall Hitting makes the back muscles soft and relaxed; it facilitates
blood flow back to the heart and accelerates blood circulation and metabolism.
How to do it?
(1) Stand with your back facing a solid wall. Set your feet apart the width
of your shoulders. The distance between your feet and the wall is about 1.5
times the length of your own shoe.
(2) Stand steadily and slightly drop your buttocks. Cross your arms before
the chest, or let your arms and hands hang down naturally.
(3) Inhale deeply through your nostrils. Then let your body fall back onto
the wall naturally. The moment your back hits the wall, the back and internal
organs are stimulated, the entire body vibrates together, and you will exhale
through the mouth and nostrils with a natural sound, which is not the result of
vocal fold vibration. Do not attempt to hold your breath the moment you’re
hitting the wall. If the exercise is intensive, you can exhale through your
wide-open mouth.
(4) To avoid the shoulder blades hitting the wall first, you can stick out
your buttocks a bit, so that the entire back can hit on the wall in one go. 
(5) Both feet should remain on the ground.
(6) If you know which meridian is blocked or which part of your body is
uncomfortable, focus on hitting that part against the wall more often, for
instance, the left or right shoulder blade, or the sacrum area at the upper middle
part of the buttocks. Stand further away from the wall if you want to hit harder.
Note:
(1) The wall used for Wall Hitting should be a strong load-bearing wall
with a flat, smooth surface. Otherwise you could injure yourself.
(2) Do not practice it if you are pregnant, or have traumatic injuries or
unhealed surgical wounds on the back.
(3) You can practice it 1–3 time(s) a day, 200–1,000 hits each time. Or
you can do it for 10 minutes up to two hours a session. Start with a few hits a
session, and gradually do it more times. You can gradually move further away
from the wall, and the effect will be greater.
(4) Similar to PaidaLajin, when practicing Wall Hitting, Waist Swirling
and Tie Qiang Gong exercises, you can feel such healing reactions as burping,
farting, headache, dizziness, neck pain, stomach ache, tail bone pain, etc. These
indicate that the lurking problems are surfacing and being resolved. Where
there are discomforts, there are meridian blockages. These are signs that the
self-healing mechanism is working to remove the blockages and maintain
overall health. Please do not interpret the reward of healing reactions as
punishment.
(5) You can watch videos of Wall Hitting, Waist Swirling, and Tie Qiang
Gong exercises in the video section of our website
http://www.paidalajin.com/en/home.
V Zen Jogging
Zen jogging is attentive and meditative jogging.
How to do it?
Make fists and hide the thumb of each hand beneath the other four fingers.
Empty your mind and lower your head. Do not look around or forward. Look at
your own feet and jog slowly. Breathe following the rhythm of jogging.
If you are gasping, you may be running too fast. Slow down. It is OK if
you are moving slower than walking. The key is to stay focused on your
jogging and breathing. Please do not walk; otherwise the whole-body vibration
and Paida on the feet will be lost.
Normally, do Zen jogging for 30–60 minutes and you will sweat a bit.
You will feel refreshed instead of tired.
Many people who do not like running fall in love with Zen jogging the
first time they try it.
It can rapidly boost positive energy, remove the excess, and replenish the
deficiency in the body. It is a very good exercise for people in poor health and
those who do not like sports. In the warm days of spring, summer, and fall, it is
best to practice barefoot jogging. It helps to massage the soles and absorb the 
energy from the Earth.
VI Breathing Exercise
How to do it?
Inhale slowly and fully into your abdomen through the nostrils, hold
your breath for 3–50 seconds or longer, and exhale quickly through your
mouth. Do this 50–500 times a day. As you practice, you will be able to
hold your breath longer.
You can practice this breathing exercise while doing PaidaLajin, and
whenever possible.
It can help rapidly improve spleen and kidney energies. Do not be
scared if you experience insomnia, dizziness, running nose, pins and
needles and other healing crises. These are good recovery reactions. You
can relieve these “discomforts” by slapping on the inner elbows.
VII Meditation
Meditation quiets down and nourishes the Heart, heals physical,
mental, and psychological problems, and leads the way to enlightenment.
It is a more advanced self-healing method, and more difficult than
PaidaLajin. In our workshop, we do mediation twice a day, once in the
morning and once in the evening.
People tend to associate mediation with religion. In fact, meditation
has transcended religious barriers and is now widely accepted and
practiced around the world.
If you have your own method of meditation, continue to practice it;
if you don’t, you can try the simple meditation we teach at our workshop.
How to do it?
Sit comfortably. If you can, sit with one leg crossed or both legs
crossed. If you cannot, you can sit on a chair. Straighten your back and
close your eyes. Make the tip of your tongue reach behind the upper
palate. Inhale and exhale through your nostrils. Relax and empty your
mind. You can begin a silent dialogue, either with the sick parts and
organs, or with the entire body. You can say this to your body silently and
repeatedly, “I’m sorry; please forgive me; thank you; I love you.” The
self-healing effect will be amazing when it comes from the bottom of
your Heart. The effect is even better if you practice Vipassana meditation. 
During meditation, you may feel burping, farting, shaking, nausea,
dizziness, chest tightness, spontaneous movements, energy and blood
flow, ups and downs in body temperature, sore, numb, swelling, and
painful sensations. These are good healing reactions. Do not complain or
feel depressed. Instead, you should stay positive and be grateful for your
body and nature’s nourishment.
PaidaLajin and meditation are complementary. PaidaLajin can help
meditators clear meridian blockages and thus make the Qi and blood flow
more smoothly. By practicing PaidaLajin, many meditators who could
not sit cross-legged can do it now; the sore, numb, swelling and painful
sensations are relieved, and they can meditate for a longer time.
How to get rid of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)?
If we practice PaidaLajin only to self-heal diseases and neglect
health preservation, the diseases could relapse, and we could potentially
create more diseases. When minor ailments aggravate to severe
symptoms, some people still think they are not sick. For instance, Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is very dangerous. The symptoms include
inexplicable fatigue, tinnitus, insomnia, headache, migraine, irritation,
listlessness, hair loss, color spots, low libido, limb edema, mood swings,
chest tightness, irregular heartbeat, loss of appetite, frequent urination,
waist and knee pain, cold hands and feet, and so on. Some people also
experience low fever, lymphatic swelling, and other symptoms. Some
symptoms resemble those of depression, but doctors are often uncertain
of causes, so they give the disease name “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
(CFS)” and attribute it to tension and pressure.
The fact is, no illness breaks out suddenly. All illnesses are
accumulated over time and manifested as various symptoms. The period
of “accumulation” is not disease-free; rather a disease is developing or
lurking in the body, awaiting the perfect opportunity to break out.
This period is the best time for health preservation and disease
prevention. Again, you need to clear the meridians of blockages. In
addition to PaidaLajin, you can practice fasting, meditation, Zen jogging,
Wall Hitting, Waist Swirling, and Tie Qiang Gong exercises. We teach
and practice them during our 7-day workshops. These are a bit more
complex than PaidaLajin, but can be grasped in about 10 minutes.
Painkillers, sleeping pills, antidepressants and other drugs prescribed
to relieve CFS only suppress the symptoms, but cannot uproot them. And

their toxic side effects can cause drug-induced diseases. 

Chinese medicine believes that CFS results from an imbalance of
Yin-Yang energies and the internal organs, including the heart, liver,
spleen, lungs, and kidneys: A malfunctioning spleen leads to poor appetite
and indigestion; kidney disorders can be manifested as lack of energy and
no sexual desire; a person with poor liver functions tends to get angry and
anxious easily; lung problems are manifested as dysfunctional breathing;
and problems with a disturbed heart is the root cause of it all. TCM
doctors will normally prescribe medicine according to their diagnosis.
The problem is even simpler in our eyes. CFS is a syndrome of Qi
and blood stagnation caused by blockage of meridians, particularly the
Heart, Spleen, and Kidney meridians. Clearing meridian blockages heals.
We are not doctors, and we cannot prescribe medicine. It enables us to
avoid the side effects of medication. The effect of self-healing is better
than that of medication. We advocate “ignoring the disease name,”
instead of targeting a particular symptom or disease. As long as the
body’s self-healing mechanism is enhanced, CFS will be relieved.
Dos (choose according to your needs):
(1) Stretch on a Lajin bench. Practice it twice a day, stretch each leg
for 10-50 minutes each time, and add 22–44 lb sandbags to each leg.
(2) Paida the universal regions (elbows, knees, hands and feet) and
the head, particularly the inner elbows, Neiguan acupoint, top and sides
of the head, and then along the four limbs.
(3) Do meditation, and practice Wall Hitting, Waist Swirling, Tie
Qiang Gong, and breathing exercises. You can decide the duration of
practice according to your own needs. Regulate your breathing while
doing other exercises and whenever possible.
(4) Do Zen jogging for 30–60 minutes each morning.
(5) Do meditative standing for 10–60 minutes each morning when the
sun is rising. This will boost your energy.
(6) Massage your waist regularly. Press your hands at the waist and
rub down to the lower end of the spine. Repeat it for 100–200 times each
morning and evening until you feel it quite warm there. You can also
gently pat your waist.
(7) Bath your feet in warm water (about 104°F) for 15–20 minutes.
You can stop when your back starts to sweat. It is even better to bath both
hands and feet in warm water. You can massage your feet during and after
the footbath, or Paida the feet after the footbath. 
(8) Receive acupressure, acupuncture, chiropractic, or other holistic
treatments. There may be multiple dislocated joints along the spine,
indicating problems with relevant internal organs. You will feel refreshed
when the spinal bones are pushed back in place.
Don’ts:
(1) Do not eat too much. It is healthful to stop eating when your
stomach is 50–70% full. You can also fast for 1–7 day(s) each month.
(2) Do not eat too much meat. Meat consumes much energy to be
digested. Eat more cereals.
(3) Do not stay up until after midnight. It is healthful to go to sleep
between 9:00–11:00 pm. Early to bed, and early to rise. It is even better
to take a short nap at noon.
(4) Do not drink too much alcohol. Drink moderately. Too much
drinking is harmful to the liver, spleen, and kidneys.
(5) Avoid smoking. Smoking is bad for your lungs, and nicotine
slows down the blood flow, a contributor to high blood lipid, blood
glucose, and blood pressure, and poor erectile function of the male sex
organ.
(6) Avoid too much sex. Similar to tasty food, having too much is
counterproductive. 

Chapter VIII Why Do Some People Self-heal Faster

Than Others with PaidaLajin? (Click Here)