VII Dietary Therapy and Medicinal Cuisine

2. Qigong is a “self-exercise” method in traditional Chinese medicine for treating illness and strengthening the body, with numerous schools and diverse types. Its core principle lies in coordinated exercise through three links—“regulating the mind,” “regulating breathing,” and “regulating the body”—under conscious guidance, exerting beneficial effects on bodily functions; balancing yin and yang to achieve the goal of yin being balanced and yang being concealed, thus realizing the effects of treating illness and strengthening the body. Practicing qigong involves continuous training of “yi” (intention) and “qi” (vital energy) under conscious guidance. “Yi” refers to actively concentrating thoughts, eliminating distractions, and reaching a relatively “quiet” state. “Qi” refers not only to the breath circulating within the body under conscious control, but also includes breathing itself. On the one hand, mind and breath are interdependent; smooth breathing and sinking qi into the dantian help achieve tranquility and relaxation. On the other hand, during qigong practice, special breathing forms are employed, such as natural, gentle, deep, and even breathing, as well as abdominal exercises, which act like a massage for internal organs, enhance organ function, improve blood circulation, and promote the flow of internal qi. Therefore, during qigong practice, one should actively and proactively engage in breathing regulation exercises. The respiratory center is anatomically located close to the cardiovascular motor center. Thus, through qigong breathing regulation, one can gradually improve the excitatory activity of the respiratory center and extend its influence to the cardiovascular motor center, causing corresponding adjustments in its function and ultimately lowering blood pressure. Qigong therapy has obvious effects on symptom improvement, such as headache, dizziness, sleep, and mental state. To observe the effects of qigong treatment on hypertension, some researchers randomly divided 117 cases of primary hypertension into three treatment groups: qigong group of 39 cases, jogging group of 42 cases, and medication group of 36 cases. After one year of observation, all three groups showed blood-pressure-lowering effects, with overall effectiveness rates of 89.74%, 92.86%, and 86.11% respectively. The qigong group and the jogging group simultaneously had weight-loss effects and reduced total cholesterol and triglycerides, with reduction rates of 3.89%, 4.63%, 15.03%, 11.79%, 14.59%, and 13.3% respectively. The results show that the qigong group had a more obvious blood-pressure-lowering effect, stable blood pressure, and fewer side effects. Below are some relaxation exercises effective for lowering blood pressure. Basic technique: Divide the body into three lines and relax each part step by step and rhythmically. First line (both sides): Both sides of the head → both sides of the neck → shoulders → upper arms → elbow joints → forearms → wrist joints → both hands → ten fingers. Second line (front): Face → neck → chest → abdomen → both front thighs → knee joints → both front calves → ankle joints → dorsum of the feet → toes. Third line (back): Top of the head → back of the head → back → buttocks → both back thighs → both buttocks → both back calves → both ankle joints → bottoms of both feet. The practitioner stands in a comfortable posture, eyes slightly closed, tongue touching the junction of the upper teeth and palate, mind calm and serene, breathing naturally. When inhaling, think of one part of the body; when exhaling, silently say “relax” to let that part relax. Relax each part of the first, second, and third lines in turn; completing all three lines constitutes one cycle. At this time, focus on the dantian below the navel for 3–4 minutes. After finishing the practice, slowly move to conclude. Hypertensive patients should do this once every morning and before bedtime to achieve good blood-pressure-lowering effects. (VII) Dietary Therapy and Medicinal Cuisine Dietary therapy and medicinal cuisine both use food as the main ingredient for disease prevention and treatment. Traditional Chinese Medicine proposes: “Food comes first in treating illness.” This means that dietary therapy should be used first, followed by medication and other methods. There is no fundamental difference between dietary therapy and medicinal cuisine. If there is any distinction, dietary therapy belongs to nutrition science, while medicinal cuisine is unique to TCM and is a component of traditional Chinese medicine, often using ingredients that serve both medicinal and culinary purposes. Medicinal cuisine focuses primarily on disease prevention while also providing nutritional benefits.
3. Dietary therapy, also known as nutritional therapy, is a component of modern medical treatment. Since China’s reform and opening-up, with the abundance of material resources and improved living standards, some people have begun to pay attention to enhancing nutrition; however, due to a lack of nutritional knowledge, they cannot prepare scientifically balanced meals. Traditional Chinese Medicine has long placed dietary doctors (nutritionists) in the first position. As early as the 8th century BC, the “Zhou Li · Tian Guan” already recorded dietary doctors, disease doctors (internal medicine doctors), and ulcer doctors (surgical doctors). Dietary structure requires comprehensiveness, rationality, and a balanced mix of coarse and fine foods, meat and vegetables.

Since the 19th century, Western medicine has also attached considerable importance to dietary therapy, and recently “elemental diets” have emerged, composed of artificially synthesized amino acids, glucose, various vitamins, and trace elements. Such diets can be absorbed without digestion. Over the past decade, various formulations of “elemental diets” have been produced domestically and internationally, marking a major development in dietary therapy. Foods for preventing and treating hypertension can be roughly classified as follows.

Oils: mainly vegetable oils, such as corn oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, etc. Proteins: fish, beef, milk, egg whites, chicken, duck, soy milk, tofu, etc. Vegetables: spinach, celery, shepherd’s purse, and other leafy greens; carrots containing carotene, tomatoes, rapeseed, mulberries, etc. Fruits: apples, persimmons, watermelons, bananas, peaches, kiwis, etc. Other categories: whole grains, potatoes, peas, sesame, and other foods containing nicotinic acid are beneficial for hypertension.

The aforementioned foods are not suitable for all hypertensive patients; some should be tailored to individual needs. For example, hypertensive patients with diabetes should eat less sugary fruit and more vegetables and soy products; when hypertensive patients have high triglycerides, they should limit staple food intake and avoid animal fats and offal; obese individuals should limit food quantity and total calorie intake.

Bananas: highest potassium content. Most hypertensive patients are deficient in potassium. Bananas are nutritious starchy fruits, containing carotene, vitamin B₁, vitamin B₂, vitamin C, vitamin PP, as well as trace elements like calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Rich in pectin, they have a laxative and intestinal-moisturizing effect, making them suitable Constipation sufferers who are elderly, pregnant, or physically weak. Due to its high potassium content, it is beneficial for hypertension, coronary heart disease, and other conditions. Eating one or two bananas a day can meet the body's basic potassium needs while also reducing the risk of stroke. However, because of its extremely high sugar content—twice that of oranges—the sugars it contains are fructose and glucose, which not only provide high calories but are also easily absorbed. Diabetics, however, should avoid fructose and glucose; consuming large amounts of bananas can cause blood sugar levels to rise rapidly, potentially leading to coma.