Article 42: Ear Acupuncture Health Preservation Method and the Temporal and Climatic Perspective of Seasonal Health Preservation

(II) Commonly Used Prescriptions

Here are some commonly used ear patch health regimens:

1. Preventing colds

Use your thumb and forefinger to press on the tragus of the auricle, focusing on acupoints such as the external nose, internal nose, and throat. Apply pressure with a light, even, and moderate pressure, aiming for a slight pain sensation. Press each point 10-30 times, alternating between both ears. A course of treatment lasts 4-7 days. Alternatively, using a blunt-tipped wooden stick or matchstick, while facing a mirror, press on acupoints on the auricle according to an ear acupoint chart, including the external nose, ear tip, cold point, and occipital point, to a tolerable degree. Other pressure points are the same as the thumb and forefinger method. This method is very effective in preventing colds.

2. Preventing and treating insomnia

Using your thumb and forefinger, press on the triangular fossa, antitragus, and posttragusal sulcus of the auricle, focusing on acupoints such as Shenmen, dizziness point, brain point, and insomnia point. Massage each area 10-30 times, 2-4 times daily, especially before bedtime. Alternate between ears, and a course of treatment lasts 4-7 days. Alternatively, use a matchstick instead of manual pressure. This method is significantly effective in improving sleep, especially when applied before bedtime.

3. Treatment of obesity

Using your thumb and forefinger, press on the triangular fossa, cymba conchae, intertragic notch, and tragus of the auricle, focusing on acupoints such as constipation point, large intestine point, endocrine point, hunger point, and adrenal gland point. Apply pressure with a light, even, and consistent pressure. Massage each area 10-35 times, 3-5 times daily, ideally before and after meals. Alternate between ears, with 4-7 days constituting one course of treatment. Alternatively, you can press with a matchstick while looking in a mirror, applying pressure to a tolerable level. Regular use of this method is effective in treating obesity.

III. Precautions

(1) Prevent the tape from getting wet to prevent it from falling off and causing skin infection.

(2) Pressing should not be too forceful; it should be done in a way that is within the individual's tolerance and does not damage the skin.

(3) Change the dressing frequently during the summer when there is excessive sweating. Do not apply if the auricle is frostbitten or inflamed in winter. Do not use this method if you are allergic to adhesive tape.

(4) Instruct users to press regularly. Those who experience soreness, numbness, distension, pain, or burning sensations after pressing are considered to have good results.

(5) Patients with sprains and limb movement disorders should move the affected area appropriately when applying pressure to enhance the therapeutic effect.

(Liao Renyun)

Health preservation according to the season

The cyclical changes of Yin and Yang in nature give rise to rhythms in the movement and changes of all things in the universe. Humans, correspondingly, also experience cyclical changes in their internal organs, blood and Qi, and emotions, such as the annual rhythm of the four seasons, the monthly rhythm of the waxing and waning of the moon, and the daily rhythm of day and night. Health preservation requires formulating corresponding measures based on the changing patterns of nature and the human body, adapting to the times, in order to better achieve the goals of strengthening the body, preventing disease, and prolonging life.

Time, climate and human body

I. The Relationship Between Time and the Human Body

(I) The Relationship Between Time and Human Physiology

The waxing and waning of Yin and Yang Qi in the human body, the circulation of Qi and blood in the meridians, and the functional activities of the internal organs have obvious regularities. They also undergo periodic changes with the movement of the sun and moon, the changing of seasons, and the alternation of day and night in nature. For example, the Ling Shu·Sui Lu Lun states: "Man is in harmony with heaven and earth and corresponds with the sun and moon."

The "Suwen·On the Reversal and Conformation of Acupuncture in the Four Seasons" states that "Spring Qi is in the meridians, Summer Qi is in the collateral vessels, Late Summer Qi is in the muscles, Autumn Qi is in the skin, and Winter Qi is in the bone marrow." The "Suwen·On the Law of the Visceral Qi" states that "The Liver governs Spring," "The Heart governs Summer," "The Spleen governs Late Summer," "The Lungs govern Autumn," and "The Kidneys govern Winter." These statements, from the perspective of the correspondence between Heaven and Man, explain the distribution characteristics of Qi and Blood in the human body in different seasons of the year.

The "Suwen·Eight Principles of Divine Manifestation" states, "When the weather is warm and the sun is bright, the blood and fluids of the human body are moist and the defensive qi floats... When the weather is cold and the sun is dim, the blood and fluids of the human body congeal and the defensive qi sinks. When the moon is first born, the blood and qi begin to be refined and the defensive qi begins to circulate; when the moon is full, the blood and qi are abundant and the muscles are firm; when the moon is waning, the muscles decrease, the meridians become weak, the defensive qi departs, and the body is left alone." This suggests that the circulation and waxing and waning of the body's qi and blood not only change with the seasons and climate but are also closely related to the intensity of sunlight and the phases of the moon.

Furthermore, the physiological activities of the human body not only change with the rhythms of the year and month, but also have a certain influence from the daily rhythms and the changes in the hours of the day. For example, the "Suwen·Shengqi Tongtian Lun" states: "At dawn, human qi is generated; at midday, yang qi descends; at sunset, yang qi is already deficient, and the qi gates close." This indicates that the yang qi of the human body changes accordingly at dawn, midday, and sunset. In the "Qi Xue Zhu Liu Ge" in Chen Xiuyuan's "Medical Essentials" from the Qing Dynasty, it says: "Lung in Yin, Large Intestine in Mao, Stomach in Chen, Spleen in Si, Heart in Wu, Small Intestine in Wei, Bladder in Shen, Kidney in You, Pericardium in Xu, Hai, Zi, Gallbladder in Chou." This shows that the flow and changes of blood and qi in the human body through the internal organs and meridians can occur at different times of the day.

(II) The Relationship Between Time and Human Disease

Human physiological activities undergo corresponding adaptive and stress-response changes according to different time rhythms, thereby ensuring normal physiological functions. However, this adaptive change has its limits. Once this adaptive capacity is exceeded, it will disrupt the orderly periodic rhythm state within the body, which can lead to the disorder of the body's constant state of yin and yang, qi and blood, internal organs and meridians, resulting in pathological reactions and diseases.

In the normal cycle of seasonal change, where "cold and hot alternate as is the norm," humans can adapt promptly. However, when natural climate exhibits abnormalities, such as "the presence of qi out of season," illness can occur. As stated in the *Suwen* (Plain Questions), "When the qi fails to arrive, it is because the qi is insufficient; when the qi arrives before it is due, it is because the qi is excessive." This illustrates two types of abnormalities in the seasonal changes of natural climate: either the regular seasonal cycle has arrived, but the corresponding natural climate has not, or the seasonal cycle has not arrived, but an inappropriate natural climate has already appeared. This disharmony between climate and time disrupts the body's orderly cyclical rhythms, leading to imbalances in the body's yin and yang, qi and blood, and the balance of organs and meridians, resulting in pathological changes. Each seasonal change has its own characteristics and patterns, often triggering seasonal illnesses and epidemics in addition to common diseases. As stated in the "Suwen·Jinkui Zhenyan Lun": "In spring, nosebleeds are common; in midsummer, chest and rib diseases are common; in late summer, diarrhea and cold in the middle of the body are common; in autumn, malaria is common; and in winter, numbness and paralysis are common." Lei Feng of the Qing Dynasty wrote in "Shibing Lun": "In spring, there are many spring fever, wind fever and colds; in summer, there are many diarrhea, dysentery and cold in the middle of the body; in autumn, there are many malaria, damp fever and autumn dryness; and in winter, there are many coughs, typhoid fever and winter fever."

Furthermore, because the human body possesses a biological clock rhythm of Yin and Yang waxing and waning, the changes in a person's condition throughout the day also follow certain patterns. For example, the *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot), in the chapter "Following the Qi of the Day Divided into Four Seasons," states: "Most diseases are characterized by improvement in the morning, peace during the day, worsening in the evening, and extreme severity at night... In the morning, human Qi begins to rise, and pathogenic Qi declines, hence improvement in the morning. At midday, human Qi grows, and this growth overcomes the pathogenic factors, hence peace. In the evening, human Qi begins to decline, and pathogenic Qi begins to rise, hence worsening. At midnight, human Qi enters the internal organs, and pathogenic Qi resides alone in the body, hence severity." This elucidates the pattern of disease changes throughout the day and explains the mechanism of improvement in the morning, peace during the day, worsening in the evening, and extreme severity at night from the perspective of the changes in the generation, growth, storage, and restoration of Yang Qi in the human body.

II. The Relationship Between Climate and the Human Body

The changes of day and night, dawn and dusk, and the waxing and waning of the moon, as well as the alternation of the six elements (wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire) throughout the year, are all the result of the combined effects of celestial movements, the rising and setting of the sun and moon, and the interaction of heaven and earth. Since "humans are born from the qi of heaven and earth and are formed by the laws of the four seasons," not only is time closely related to the human body, but weather and climate are also closely related. The *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot), in the chapter "The Differentiation of the Five Types of Urinary Retention and Body Fluids," states: "When it is hot and clothing is thick, the pores open, hence sweating occurs... When it is cold, the pores close, qi and dampness do not circulate, and water accumulates in the bladder, becoming urine and gas." This suggests that weather and climate are closely related to human physiological activities. The *Suwen* (Plain Questions) chapter "On the Correspondence of Yin and Yang" states: "Heaven has four seasons and five elements, which govern growth, development, storage, and the generation of cold, heat, dryness, dampness, and wind... Excessive cold and heat weaken the body's constitution... Therefore, it is said: If one is injured by cold in winter, one will inevitably suffer from febrile diseases in spring; if one is injured by wind in spring, one will suffer from diarrhea in summer; if one is injured by heat in summer, one will inevitably suffer from malaria in autumn; if one is injured by dampness in autumn, one will suffer from cough in winter." The *Suwen* chapter "On the Essential Principles of Medicine" states: "The generation of all diseases originates from wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire, and their transformations are due to their interaction." This explains that the six pathogenic factors (wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire) in harmony with the four seasons, under normal circumstances, are beneficial to human growth and development and good for health. However, excessive amounts of these six pathogenic factors become the six external evils, which can lead to exogenous diseases and potentially affect human health.

Modern medical meteorology is an emerging discipline that mainly studies the influence of meteorological factors such as temperature, air pressure, humidity, and airflow on human health. It is very similar to the traditional Chinese medicine concept of the correspondence between man and nature and adapting to the times, and can be studied in combination.

Human comfort

Studies have shown that meteorological factors affecting human comfort mainly include temperature, humidity, wind direction, and wind speed. Furthermore, individual perceptions of meteorological indicators reflecting the combined effects of temperature, humidity, and wind speed vary.

The Human Comfort Index is a comprehensive meteorological indicator or parameter based on the combined effects of various meteorological factors on the human body, and it effectively reflects the physical sensations of most people. It is generally released in nine levels:

Level 1.4: People feel very hot and extremely uncomfortable; take precautions against heatstroke.

Level 2.3: People feel hot and uncomfortable; take precautions against heatstroke.

Level 3.2: People feel hot and uncomfortable; appropriate cooling measures may be taken.

Level 4.1: Feels warm to the touch, quite comfortable;

Level 5.0: The most comfortable and easily accepted by the human body;

6.---Level 1: The body feels slightly cool, but is quite comfortable;

7.---Level 2: Feeling cold (cool) and uncomfortable; please keep warm.

Level 8-3: People feel very cold and uncomfortable. Take precautions to keep warm and protect yourself from the cold.

Level 9-4: The body feels cold and extremely uncomfortable. Pay attention to keeping warm and preventing frostbite.