Qigong Perspective On Our Health - Why We Get Sick

I was once reading a book on women and heartenergy to our lives and create even more Qi
health by a well respected M.D. The beginning ofblockages. Being positive is a wonderful way of
the book told a story about a woman who had aliving and contributes positively to a person's good
heart attack and was taken to the emergencyhealth. Keeping your thoughts positive, happy and
room. The woman complained to the doctor thatuplifting will help, but we need to recognize that
she had been doing everything healthy and rightwe cannot rely on positive thoughts alone. Our
to take care of herself, while her husband hadmind is like our body - we need to let it rest
very poor health habits. The woman was angry.regularly.
"Why me? Why not him?" she said. The doctorWe are humans, and we are given the special gift
cited "the odds" as part of the reason thisof an intelligent mind. Of course we use it to think,
woman had suffered a heart attack. The doctor'sanalyze, plan, create, love, help, entertain and to
answer rang so untrue within me that it killed mybe entertained. But some, or perhaps even most
motivation to continue reading his book.of what our mind goes through everyday is
I do feel that statistical data can be of value.unnecessary. A typical way our mind wastes
However, seeing it ("the odds") considered as aenergy and creates Qi blockage is by judging. We
cause or partial cause of a person's health statusjudge far more than is necessary or healthy.
is hard for me to accept. If "the odds" say thatJudging too often takes us away from being
one out of ten women over fifty tend to havenatural.
heart problems, this only tells us the healthI was having lunch with a friend recently at a local
condition of this given population. But thisChinese restaurant. As my friend was paying the
information provides no insight into why that onebill at the cashier after we had finished, I found
woman out of ten is having heart problems.myself looking around randomly. I thought to
So what does our heath depend on? Why do wemyself that the space inside the restaurant is
get sick?very efficiently utilized. Although I thought nothing
From the 'Qi' perspective, our health is affectedbad, I caught myself judging unnecessarily.
by two groups of factors: internal (ourselves) andThen I picked up my son from his job as a
external (the environment). These two sets ofstudent helper at Department of Education. As
factors interact and affect each other. The statewe were driving along a one-way street, I asked
of our health depends on both groups of factors."How was your day?"
The most comprehensive way to explain theBefore he could answer, a shuttle bus in front of
reason why we get sick is that our Qi is out ofus pulled over to the left curb. My son had been
balance inside of our body. Both internal andwatching the bus and said, "What are they doing
external factors contribute to the state of our Qi.that for, they cannot let the passengers out into
The internal factors include the state of our healththe street. They should have pulled over on the
when we were born and the way we have livedright side."
our lives since then. The external factors includeImmediately a large man driving a small
elements like weather, temperature, pollution, themotorcycle passed us on our right side. My son's
state of those around of us, and both natural andattention switched quickly. "It is so weird to see
man-made events which happen daily.big people on a scooter like that."
If we return from a trip with a cold, the causeI could not stop from commenting. "Does that
would probably not be a single reason. The changehave anything to do with you at all? Why waste
in weather from our home to where we visited,your brain cells judging like that?" I said it in a light
the air on the plane, the lack of rest, eatingtone, hoping that I could make a point and not
recreationally-all of these elements can impact oursound like I was lecturing. He smiled, making me
health. Health problems usually are due to boththink my point was well taken.
external and internal factors.Before I was able to enjoy more of my
In general, we have more control over internalaccomplishment, a new style of jeep cut in front
factors than external factors. For example, weof us. "Look at that jeep," my son almost yelled,
can choose how we live our lives, but we"Its cool but way too exaggerated! "
cannot-forexample--change the high level ofI laughed. "Three in a row, son", I said.
moisture in places which are close to water. (High"What, Mom? It's normal".
moisture levels in our environment increase our"Yes, Son", I said, "It is exactly the way our mind
chances of developing arthritis.)normally behaves. I do it too." I thought to myself
We gain better feelings and health through Qigongthat the challenge is to guide ourselves beyond
practice by influencing primarily our internal factors.our normal behavior. I spared my son further
However an external factor such as the overalldiscussion that day.
energy field of a certain environment can alsoBesides judging, our mind can spin in a variety of
affect our Qi. Although external factors are notways, affecting our Qi condition. Our mind can so
the focus of Qigong and this article, I would like toeasily be like a nosy neighbor: always curious and
mention a bit more about them here.poking around being a 'busy body' instead of
Our external environmental factors can beresting or cleaning the house.
controlled in a limited way. For example, ChineseWhen we over-stimulate our mind, we can affect
traditional Fengshui is the art of choosing andour Qi condition by creating an amusement park
arranging our living environment and making theof emotions. We become excited when we gain,
energy around us beneficial for our health and life.we get anxious and depressed when we lose. We
I remember a story told by one of my Qigongfeel pleased when we are praised. We feel
masters in Shanghai about a young girl. The girlresentful when we are criticized. We are riding on
had a very strange problem: she often fainted atemotional waves constantly everyday. Stimulation
home suddenly with no apparent reason. Hospitalis addictive. Then the more we are stimulated, the
tests were not helpful. The parents asked themore we avoid experiencing who we truly are
Qigong master to help. The master discoveredand the more we are taken away from our
that her room had too much strong red color. Bynatural, peaceful inner nature. We become less
changing the arrangement in the room, the littleand less sensitive and in tune with what are
girl never fainted again. (If you have the samehappening inside of our own body. We have to be
fainting problem, you may not want to expectwith ourselves to heal ourselves.
that taking the color red out of your home will fixWhen I was working at my State job, I had
the problem. Individuals have greatly different Qimany opportunities to talk with new moms. Twice
make-ups. The color red might not be yourI was told by a new mom that she did not know
cause.)she was pregnant until the moment she gave
The above story is just one illustration that Qi inbirth. Hard to believe, I know, but it is true. A
our environment can affect our health and thatcolleague who works at a hospital in prenatal care
there is more than one approach to learning howverified that this does happen occasionally. Can
to adjust our energy and the energy around us.you think of a more telling example of not being
You can help yourself by spending some timein tune with yourself?
becoming more aware of your externalAnother key generator of Qi blockage is our poor
environment (studying nature) and by being openlife style choices. Although there usually is a direct
to making even small adjustments in yourconnection between our life styles and our state
external environment.of mind, they each are separate contributors to
Now, let's focus on the internal factors whichQi blockages. Poor life style choices include a wide
affect our Qi. I will use a metaphor to explain this.variety of elements, such as our daily schedule,
Our body is like a house. When we were firstdiet and activities. Do you take a brisk walk after
born, our new body had its best and most naturaldinner or sit on the couch watching television?
Qi condition, much like a brand new house givenDoctors often urge people to eat healthier and
to us by our parents. Our new house is healthy,exercise more, which are basic steps in helping
clean and bright. As we have grown up, we havereduce our Qi blockage accumulation through
not kept up with the cleaning and maintaining ofbetter life style choices.
our house. We have continually brought bags ofSo although we might think we have been taking
dirt into the house and left them everywhere.great care of ourselves and should be guaranteed
Eventually, our house has become a dump. It is sogood health--like the woman in the emergency
full of dirt you may have a hard time movingroom who was angry and complaining--the truth is
from the kitchen to the bathroom. It is no longerwe normally do a lot of things which block our Qi.
fully functional.Exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet, for
When your body reaches a similar point of neglectexample, will help, but exercise and diet are just a
as the house described above, you arepart of what affects our health. In summary, to
experiencing health problems! Whether you arereduce the long list of risk factors to good health,
experiencing emotional, mental or physicalwe have to maintain a peaceful state of mind and
problems, your body is no longer fully functional.healthy life habits.
One or more of these problems has probablyHealth problems begin with Qi blockage. From
motivated you to read this book.minor to major, from a headache or the flu to
The dirt in the house is like the Qi blockages inheart disease, kidney failure, ulcers and arthritis,
our body. Qi blockages produce all of ourour health problems begin with our own personal
imbalances: physical, emotional and mental. If yourassortment of Qi blockages. After years of
blood is not flowing well, life-nourishing oxygen ishaving a busy mind (worse yet, a negative busy
not getting where it needs to be. If yourmind) and poor life habits, Qi blockages
life-nourishing Qi is not flowing fully or flowingaccumulate. Beginning with invisible tangled energy
where it needs to flow, your whole systemundetected by medical instruments, our Qi
begins to wither and fail.blockages gradually manifest into very visible
Actually, there is a maid who came with the nicehealth problems which can be detected by
house which was given to us when we weremodern medicine.
born. When we first neglected or even abusedThe earlier stages of Qi blockages create
the house, the maid worked hard and cleaned upsymptoms such as tiredness, pain and emotional
for us. But eventually, after years of hard work,imbalance. At this early stage of Qi imbalance,
the maid becomes worn down, and eventuallymedical tests will usually look normal and your
stops trying. The maid is our immune system.doctor will tell you that you are fine. As Qi
When problems begin to accumulate, it is a signblockages build up, your situation worsens and
that our immune system is faltering. When ouryour symptoms become stronger. Eventually the
immune system finally stops working our bodyblockages will grow to the point where tests will
has no maid to cleanup after us, no guard toreveal the results of the Qi imbalance. Like a
protect us.volcano erupting on the ocean floor, the volcano's
You might ask how does a house become sovery existence will not be evident to the sea level
neglected or abused that it becomesobserver until it is about to breach the ocean's
nonfunctional. In other words, what generates sosurface.
much Qi blockages in our body? The answer is:The tests, though, will not tell you the root cause
the list can be very long! More than you wouldof your problem, that your health condition is a
imagine!result of blocked Qi. The good news is that most,
When our choices are not in harmony with theif not all, health conditions are reversible. A tumor,
natural laws, Qi blockages will result and illness willwhich appears to be a solid physical mass of
follow sooner or later. Of the long list of unnaturaltissue, is by its nature a gathering of Qi - a
choices we have to choose from, how we usegathering of energy. The tumor can be reversed
our mind is the number one generator of Qiback into Qi and smoothed out with a strong
blockages. Ask yourself a question: how long canoverall Qi flow in your body. This is how cancer
you last without something going through yourpatients heal themselves through Qigong practice.
mind? If you do not know, try now and find out.For people who are dealing with health issues they
For most people in the Western world, it will onlywere born with, it is like the house that we were
be a few seconds before your mind becomesinitially given was not as perfect as most. A
occupied with something.perfect house with poor long term maintenance
A spinning mind is a powerful contributor to the Qimay well not last as long as an imperfect house
blockages in our body. Simply having an over-busywith great long term care. Either way, we need
mind will wear down our health. In addition, whatgood maintenance to maximize our greatest
we think has impact, too. Negative thoughts tendpotential. Qigong is a great tool for us to achieve
to create destructive moods, attract a similarthat goal.