With the rising enthusiasm for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the internet is brimming with a wide variety of TCM health preservation knowledge, and many “health bloggers” on social media platforms have become important sources of information for young people. A recent survey conducted by the Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily shows that 51.9% of young respondents choose to learn about TCM health preservation through social media platforms, making it the primary source of such knowledge for the youth. In the face of mixed quality online information, how can one discern truth from falsehood? China Youth Daily interviewed Associate Chief Physician Fan Su from the Characteristic Treatment Center at Wangjing Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. He summarized several common misconceptions regarding TCM health preservation based on current hot topics.
Fan Su: Many young people do not fully understand what “dampness” means and sometimes blindly try to remove it. “Removing dampness” is not suitable for all constitutions. For example, those with poor spleen and stomach or cold or yin-deficient constitutions should not blindly use dampness-removing herbs. This is a significant misconception.
Fan Su: Overuse of tonics is also a common misconception in TCM health preservation. Many young people think they are weak, but sometimes this “weakness” is due to lack of exercise leading to decreased heart and lung function. However, some may genuinely feel weak with poor immunity and thus prefer to take tonics like ginseng, astragalus, and goji berries. Without proper diagnosis by a physician, excessive intake of these tonifying substances could further disrupt bodily metabolism and cause other issues.
Fan Su: Back sunbathing has a scientific basis in TCM. It stimulates meridians to promote the generation of yang qi, improving metabolism and enhancing immunity. There are some misconceptions about back sunbathing: first, some sunbathe at inappropriate times. According to TCM principles, the best time is between 9:00-10:00 am, but some young people might sunbathe in the afternoon due to work schedules or late risings, which is counterproductive for generating yang qi. Second, back sunbathing should not involve excessive exposure, as this can lead to sunburn risks.
If young people cannot practice back sunbathing, a good alternative is taking a hot shower. During the coldest and hottest days, which are suitable for stimulating yang qi, one can use slightly warmer water than usual (not scalding) and directly spray the Dazhui, Zhizheng, and Geshu acupoints to invigorate the body's yang qi.
However, back sunbathing is only suitable for those with a deficiency-cold constitution. Those with damp-heat constitutions or yang-excess conditions should avoid excessive sunbathing, as it could lead to heatiness.
Fan Su: There is some basis for this in TCM. It stems from the five-tone therapy, which corresponds to the traditional yin-yang and five-element theory in TCM. The elements “wood, fire, earth, metal, and water” correspond to the organs “liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.” Meridians and yin-yang and five-elements have a mutually generative and inhibitory relationship, so listening to corresponding music can have some effect and is suitable for health preservation, but relying on it for treatment is relatively weak.
Fan Su: Many people now practice “cloud health preservation,” self-medicating based on TCM knowledge found online without understanding their own constitution. However, the core of TCM is “differentiated treatment based on syndrome differentiation.” I hope people will consult professional TCM practitioners at hospitals for proper diagnosis before self-treatment.