Abstract
Chinese medicine is a healing medicine which respect the power of human body itself. The essentials of Chinese medicine is promoting health wellness instead of disease management. Modern medicine just realized the limits of its theory. P4 medicine (personalized, predictive, preventive, and participatory/precision) similar to Chinese medicine theory is beginning to representing the pioneer in the Western world. In this review, we summarized different domains of Chinese medicine. Based on the basic of promoting health wellness, we compared the fundamental theory of Chinese medicine to the new merging P4 medicine idea of Western medicine. We also discussed the potential for using modern computational medicine technique to integrate Chinese medicine theory and Western medicine theory.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Xiao MH, Tang XJ. Changes in the public health awareness of traditional Chinese medcine in Shanghai in the late Qing Dynasty. J Chin Integr Med 2011;9:675–680.
Singh GK, Siahpush M. Widening rural-urban disparities in life expectancy, U.S., 1969–2009. Am J Prev Med 2014;46(2):19–29.
American Public Health Association. The Prevention and Public Health Fund. A critical investment in our nation’s physical and fiscal health. 2012.
Hood L, Rowen L, Galas DJ, Aitchison JD. Systems biology at the Institute for Systems Biology. Brief Funct Genomic Proteomic 2008;7:239–248.
Galas DJ, Hood L. Systems biology and emerging technologies will catalyze the transition from reactive medicine to predictive, personalized, preventive and participatory (P4) medicine. IBC 2009;1:1–4.
Sobradillo P, Pozo F, Agustí A. P4 medicine the future around the corner. Arch Bronconeumol 2011;47:35–40.
Golubnitschaja O, Costigliola V, EPMA. General report and recommendations in predictive, preventive and personalised medicine 2012: white paper of the European Association for Predictive, Preventive and Personalised Medicine. EPMA J 2012;3:14.
World Health Organization. Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948. WHO definition of Health; 1946.
World Health Organization. Constitution of the World Health Organization–basic documents. 45th ed. 2006.
Callahan D. The WHO definition of ‘health’. Stud Hastings Cent 1973;1(3):77–88.
Jadad AR, O’Grady L. How should health be defined? BMJ 2008;337:2900.
Health: Merriam-Webster Dictionary; 2012. [http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/health] Accessed 1 August 2013.
Manor B, Lipsitz LA, Wayne PM, Peng CK, Li L. Complexity-based measures inform Tai Chi’s impact on standing postural control in older adults with peripheral neuropathy. BMC Complement Altern Med 2013;13:87.
Jahnke RA, Larkey LK, Rogers C. Dissemination and benefits of a replicable Tai Chi and Qigong program for older adults. Geriatric Nursing 2010;31:272–280.
Chen MC, Liu HE, Huang HY, Chiou AF. The effect of a simple traditional exercise programme (Baduanjin exercise) on sleep quality of older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Nurs Stud 2012;49:265–273.
Hsu MC, Wang TS, Liu YP, Liu CF. Effects of Baduanjin exercise on oxidative stress and antioxidant status and improving quality of life among middle-aged women. Am J Chin Med 2008;36:815–826.
Freeman SR, Hanik SA, Littlejohn ML, Malandruccolo AA, Coughlin J, Warren B, et al. Sit, breathe, smile: effects of single and weekly seated Qigong on blood pressure and quality of life in long-term care. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2014;20:48–53.
Chan AW, Lee A, Lee DT, Sit JW, Chair SY. Evaluation of the sustaining effects of Tai Chi Qigong in the sixth month in promoting psychosocial health in COPD patients: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Scientific World J 2013;2013:425082.
Chan AW, Lee A, Lee DT, Suen LK, Tam WW, Chair SY, et al. The sustaining effects of Tai Chi Qigong on physiological health for COPD patients: a randomized controlled trial. Complement Ther Med 2013;21:585–594.
Zeng Y, Luo T, Xie H, Huang M, Cheng AS. Health benefits of Qigong or Tai Chi for cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analyses. Complement Ther Med 2014;22:173–186.
United States Department of Agriculture. A series of systematic reviews on the relationship between dietary patterns and health outcomes. Alexandria, Virginia, 2014. March.
Popkin BM, Keyou G, Zhai F, Guo X, Ma H, Zohoori N. The nutrition transition in China: a cross-sectional analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr 1993;47:333–346.
Popkin BM, Horton S, Kim S, Mahal A, Shuigao J. Trends in diet, nutritional status, and diet-related noncommunicable diseases in China and India: the economic costs of the nutrition transition. Nutr Rev 2001;59:379–390.
Popkin BM. The nutrition transition and obesity in the developing world. J Nutr 2001;131:871S–873S.
Popkin BM, Adair LS, Ng SW. Global nutrition transition and the pandemic of obesity in developing countries. Nutr Rev 2012;70:3–21.
Nakamura PM, Papini CB, Teixeira IP, Chiyoda A, Luciano E, Cordeira KL, et al. Effect on physical fitness of a 10-year physical activity intervention in primary health care settings. J Phys Act Health 2015;12:102–108.
Adamson S, Lorimer R, Cobley JN, Lloyd R, Babraj J. High intensity training improves health and physical function in middle aged adults. Biology (Basel) 2014;3:333–344.
Joseph CN, Porta C, Casucci G, Casiraghi N, Maffeis M, Rossi M, et al. Slow breathing improves arterial baroreflex sensitivity and decreases blood pressure in essential hypertension. Hypertension 2005;46:714–718.
Grossman E, Grossman A, Schein MH, Zimlichman R, Gavish B. Breathing-control lowers blood pressure. J Hum Hypertens 2001;15:263–269.
Pramanik T, Sharma HO, Mishra S, Mishra A, Prajapati R, Singh S. Immediate effect of slow pace bhastrika pranayama on blood pressure and heart rate. J Altern Complement Med 2009;15:293–295.
Jennifer Jo Thompson MN. Complementary and alternative medicine in the US health insurance reform debate: an anthropological assessment is warranted. CAM Health Reform, 2011.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/ AAG/chronic.htm.
Upchurch DM, Rainisch BW. A sociobehavioral wellness model of acupuncture use in the United States, 2007. J Altern Complement Med 2014;20:32–39.
Ornish D, Lin J, Chan JM, Epel E, Kemp C, Weidner G, et al. Effect of comprehensive lifestyle changes on telomerase activity and telomere length in men with biopsy-proven lowrisk prostate cancer: 5-year follow-up of a descriptive pilot study. Lancet Oncol 2013;14:1112–1120.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bian, Lj., Liu, Zg. & Li, Gx. Promoting health wellness—The essentials of Chinese medicine. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 21, 563–568 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-015-2100-y
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-015-2100-y