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What is Qi?
By Peter Games, L. Ac.
Do you have low energy? Do you feel tired or fatigued? Did your get-up-and-go get up and go? Do you feel pain or discomfort anywhere in your body? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you may have an imbalance of what the Chinese call Qi (pronounced “chee”).
Traditional Chinese medicine is based upon the fact that there is an essential energy which flows throughout the human body. This energy is called Qi. Qi activates and enlivens the entire body and provides us with the ability to perform everyday activities. Qi keeps our bodies warm and prevents us from getting sick. Qi provides nourishment and support to every single cell in our body.
Where does a person’s Qi come from? Qi comes from several sources. Our food and drink contain Qi, which gets converted into a usable form during digestion. The air that we breathe contains Qi, which again is transformed into a usable form as we inhale and exhale. Once Qi is converted into a usable form, our bodies utilize this energy to per
form all metabolic processes. We also inherit Qi from our parents. This inherited Qi is a major factor in determining how strong our constitution is, and although we cannot do much to improve upon our inherited Qi, we can do quite a bit to ensure that the other Qi we acquire is robust and abundant. In this way, the foods that we eat help to determine how healthy we are and how healthy we feel. Highly processed foods lack the Qi that can be found in their natural, whole food counterparts. Similarly, healthful Qi is far more abundant in clean, fresh air than it is in smoggy, polluted areas. Is it any wonder why we feel so invigorated when we are outside in nature?
The Qi in our bodies, however, does not stand still. It travels in certain pathways, which are called meridians. These meridians flow throughout our bodies similar to the way that rivers flow throughout our planet. Where a river flows, it carries water, which provides nourishment and sustenance to all plants, animals, and people. Where a meridian flows, it carries Qi, which provides nourishment and energy to all cells, tissues, and organs in our body. The Qi flowing through our bodies can be disrupted by several factors, including emotional stress, poor eating habits, unhealthy lifestyle choices, and physical injury. For any of these reasons, we may either not have enough Qi, or our Qi may not flow properly through our meridians.
By Peter Games, L. Ac.
Do you have low energy? Do you feel tired or fatigued? Did your get-up-and-go get up and go? Do you feel pain or discomfort anywhere in your body? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you may have an imbalance of what the Chinese call Qi (pronounced “chee”).Traditional Chinese medicine is based upon the fact that there is an essential energy which flows throughout the human body. This energy is called Qi. Qi activates and enlivens the entire body and provides us with the ability to perform everyday activities. Qi keeps our bodies warm and prevents us from getting sick. Qi provides nourishment and support to every single cell in our body.
Where does a person’s Qi come from? Qi comes from several sources. Our food and drink contain Qi, which gets converted into a usable form during digestion. The air that we breathe contains Qi, which again is transformed into a usable form as we inhale and exhale. Once Qi is converted into a usable form, our bodies utilize this energy to per
form all metabolic processes. We also inherit Qi from our parents. This inherited Qi is a major factor in determining how strong our constitution is, and although we cannot do much to improve upon our inherited Qi, we can do quite a bit to ensure that the other Qi we acquire is robust and abundant. In this way, the foods that we eat help to determine how healthy we are and how healthy we feel. Highly processed foods lack the Qi that can be found in their natural, whole food counterparts. Similarly, healthful Qi is far more abundant in clean, fresh air than it is in smoggy, polluted areas. Is it any wonder why we feel so invigorated when we are outside in nature?The Qi in our bodies, however, does not stand still. It travels in certain pathways, which are called meridians. These meridians flow throughout our bodies similar to the way that rivers flow throughout our planet. Where a river flows, it carries water, which provides nourishment and sustenance to all plants, animals, and people. Where a meridian flows, it carries Qi, which provides nourishment and energy to all cells, tissues, and organs in our body. The Qi flowing through our bodies can be disrupted by several factors, including emotional stress, poor eating habits, unhealthy lifestyle choices, and physical injury. For any of these reasons, we may either not have enough Qi, or our Qi may not flow properly through our meridians.
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