These 5 TCM Anti Aging Tips May Help You Look Years Younger
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Can TCM anti-aging tips really help with crow’s feet, saggy eyelids and gray, thinning hair? And how about wrinkly skin and sun spots? Sorry, you probably don’t need to be reminded of these cruel, common signs of aging.
Well, there’s another perspective on aging and it’s all good news.
You see, according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), aging isn’t an inescapable fact of life. While you may not be immortal—thank goodness because just imagine how your skin would look when you turned 2,000—it is very possible to maintain a more youthful appearance at any age.
Let’s discover the major differences between western medicine’s explanation for aging and that of TCM theory, and how you may defy the aging process with 5 tips.
What Causes Aging – A Western Perspective?
Most of us blame aging on the biological clock. There is an inescapable fact of the biological clock in that we’re all going to succumb to it one day. Also called “programmed aging,” the biological clock, according to western medicine, is predicated on genetic factors.
But even if you have great genetics and both sets of your grandparents lived well into their 90s, there’s another enemy of youthful aging in western medicine that can make you look older well beyond your years: oxidation.
Oxidation, the end-result of free-radical damage, is the result of accumulated biological processes such as telomere shortening that cause cells to die before their time. Exposure to toxic chemicals, for example, can prematurely age our cells.
These twin causes of the aging process are absolute certainties in life just like, well, death and taxes.
What Causes Aging In TCM?
TCM theory offers a happier ending to the aging story.
According to TCM, you don’t have to be beholden to your genetics. And even free-radical damage can be overcome. Of course, you won’t read quotes from the great ancient Chinese sages of philosophy and medicine in classics like the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine explaining free-radical damage and oxidation and telomere shortening.
Rather, TCM offers these explanations for aging as well as solutions for defying the ageing process.
In general, ageing, according to TCM is caused by:
- Kidney Deficiency
- Spleen Deficiency
- Poor function of the 3 other Zang Fu organ systems: Heart, Lung, and Liver
- An excess accumulation of dampness (phlegm)
- Blood stasis
- Other causes of Yin/Yang imbalance
If you’d like to look years younger than your chronological age, the good news is that TCM may help you overcome these root causes of accelerated aging.
Let’s now take a closer look at how TCM explains some of these underlying causes of premature aging…
5 TCM Anti Aging Tips
Healthy aging tip #1: Maintain a healthy, young heart!
Poor circulation is one root cause of aging that both western and oriental folk medicine can agree upon. In TCM theory, the Heart organ system—which comprises not just the physical anatomical organ—is chiefly responsible for the health of the blood vessels and regulates blood circulation.
Beyond these physiological roles, the Heart governs vitality and spirit. This makes total sense. After all, if you have a blood deficiency and poor circulation, you’re most likely going to sit around all day, which zaps your will to live and causes premature aging.
Make sure then that your heart organ system is operating in perfect Yin/Yang balance.
Healthy aging tip #2: Have a strong digestion!
Furthermore, if you have a weak Spleen because of stress, poor diet and just because of the biological aging process, your food won’t be effectively broken down into nutrients. That’s because the Spleen in TCM is the main digestive organ. The Spleen system is thought to extract Qi from food and transport this energy currency from nutrients throughout the body. Having a weak Spleen also results in Blood deficiency because it’s the original source of the blood.
Because of our hectic lifestyles and the way food is processed, many people have Spleen Deficiency to some degree. But it’s not impossible to get your Spleen system operating in perfect harmony.
Healthy aging tip #3: Support your Lungs!
Another example of deficiency in an organ causing premature physical aging involves the Lungs. In TCM, the Lungs supply the rest of the organs and tissues with precious fluids. It’s common for seniors to develop weak (deficient) Lungs, which causes the tissues to dry out. And when that happens, it’s hello, wrinkles!
And because the Lungs disperse the fluids to the muscles, if your Lungs are underperforming, you may not have the adequate fluid to lubricate your joints.
In order to move gracefully on the tennis court, golf course and dance floor well into old age, it’s imperative to tonify your Lungs.
Healthy aging tip #4: Get rid of excess phlegm
Phlegm is essentially condensed, excess dampness in the body. As for what causes phlegm, which is caused when that excess lump of dampness stops moving in the meridians and comes to a standstill like a traffic jam, look no further than your kitchen.
Consuming too much dairy (especially cold foods like yogurt), processed foods, fried and greasy food, and other unhealthy things can lead to the build-up of excess material in the tissues that in the west would be referred to as “metabolic byproducts, aka toxins.”
In addition, excessive physical work and emotional stress contribute to phlegm. So take it easy, don’t work too hard and eat right to get that phlegm under control.
Healthy aging tip #5: Resupply your Kidneys with Qi
According to TCM theory, every person inherits “Yuan Qi.” This is also called your “primal” Qi, which is basically the life force you are born with. Another way to describe Yuan Qi is prenatal essence.
After you are born, your Yuan Qi can transform into any type of Qi in your body, such as Wei Qi, which is the equivalent of the immune system. Everybody starts with a certain amount of Yuan Qi. But the cruel thing about the aging process is that with every year, your Yuan Qi “bank account” depletes.
The Kidney organ system is the original source of your primal Qi. Besides the aging process, other factors deplete your Kidney organ system, causing it to operate in a state of deficiency. A few examples are a prolonged illness, alcohol abuse and other forms of chronic stress.
But now we turn from the cruel aspect of aging to the cool. The cool thing about using TCM anti aging tips to support a graceful aging process is that it’s possible at any age to nourish the Kidney system. And by doing that, you may feel more energetic and live your last years with more vitality.
How Men And Women Age Differently in TCM
Why is it that the first sign of aging in men tends to be thinning, graying hair or hair loss, whereas in women, it’s usually wrinkles, fine lines or skin blemishes around the face? Obviously, many women experience thinning hair as they age and many men lose their youthful visage. But by and large, these patterns hold true.
Well, the reason men and women age differently, according to TCM theory, has to do with the fact that different organ systems are primarily affected between the sexes.
In men, the Kidney system is usually first to show signs of aging. This explains why men usually go grey before women.
Women on the other hand are more vulnerable to an accumulation of external wind and cold that transform into excess heat. This condition is “Yang Ming” syndrome in TCM, and it affects the Yin/Yang balance of the Stomach and Intestines. This excess heat dries precious fluid that hydrates the skin. This is why, according to TCM theory, women are more likely to have wrinkles as the first manifestation of premature aging.
The Easy Way To Incorporate TCM Anti Aging Tips
So now that you know what causes premature aging in TCM, let’s take a look at what can be done about it.
Taking the information above, we know how vital it is to keep the Spleen strong. Spleen is vital for digestion and blood circulation as well as hydration of skin tissues. (The more fresh blood flowing to the epidermis, the less chance of premature aging.)
Nourishing the Heart, Lungs and Kidney organ systems are also vital for vitality and looking years younger than your chronological age.
Obviously, eating a healthy diet and being active during the day and getting good sleep are critical for aging gracefully.
But if you want an assist, consider taking high-quality Chinese herbs that tonify the organs that have the most impact on the aging process.
ActiveHerb.com features several anti-aging formulas here .
One such formula is TotalTonic, which is like a TCM multivitamin capsule for fortifying Qi (energy) and Blood. For centuries, the 10 herbs in the formula have been used to overcome lack of energy and physical strength.
What do you do to defy the aging process? Do you follow any of these TCM anti aging tips? Leave a comment below. We love hearing from our readers!
If you’re interested in reading more TCM anti-aging tips, check out these articles on the ActiveHerb.com Blog:
Is Looking 10 Years Younger a Dream?
Feed Your Skin: How Chinese Medicine Enhances Your Beauty From The Inside Out
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