Qi Flashcards
(33 cards)
Western medicine accepts the concept of _____________ (a cell organelle) as a creator of energy to the human body, which is similar to Qi in Eastern medicine.
Mitochondria! The energizer bunnies, batteries, or engines of the cell!
*Keep note that in the human body 2 or more cells are tissue, 2 or more tissues are an organ, and 2 or more organs are an organ system.
Qi is yin or yang? What essential substances of the human body are yin and yang?
Qi is yang! Blood and body fluid/jin ye are yin. Qi and jing are yang.
Tonifying (strengthening), gathering, and building Qi does what?
Encourages, supports, and nurtures life or remaining alive!
If Qi scatters and separates, what does that do?
Existence can come to an end. There is no energy or life force and death can result!
What essential substance is considered the most important of all?
Qi! It is our life energy or force for all living things!
True or false, and why?
Air is an essential substance.
False! Because air is a component to the creation of Qi.
During respiration, air inhaled gets the invisible combined with the golden liquid to raise Qi.
How does Qi affect the organs?
Qi invigorates and keeps the organs working.
How does Qi affect the rest of the essential substances?
Qi circulates blood, jing, and jin ye (body fluid).
*Name the 2 kinds of Qi that Qi can be categorized as.
Essential (pre-heavenly) Qi or genetics and acquired (post-heavenly) Qi coming from nature, food, and air.
Daily, aim to just utilize what category of Qi?
Acquired (post-heavenly) Qi!
During Disease, what category of Qi do we utilize, and why?
Essential (pre-heavenly) Qi!
Because acquired qi (post-heavenly) is depleted from chronic illness, prolonged overwork, or undernourishment, and then essential Qi (pre-heavenly) is the reserve we have no choice but to draw upon as a result.
How do you keep essential (pre-heavenly) Qi (genetics) strong?
Acquired Qi combines with, supplements, and nourishes our essential Qi to keep it strong.
*Remember that acquired qi comes from good diet and clean air.
Where is essential Qi stored in the body?
Kidney. According to TCM, kidney = the “root of our essence” because essential Qi (pre-heavenly) is stored there.
What 3 things create the life force of humankind?
*Air inhaled and *food consumed transformed into acquired Qi by the *zang fu (lung and spleen).
Acquired Qi combined with essential Qi to create the complete life force of each human.
Describe how to eat to raise Qi?
Seasonally and locally to consume stronger Qi. We absorb the energy of the food we consume.
How do humans, animals, plants, and water get Qi?
Their genetic line and the environment they develop within.
What directions represent the movement of Qi energy in a human?
Qi travels in 4 directions at the same time throughout the human body - collectively called “the Qi dynamic”.
Ascending: lower jiao to upper jiao.
Descending: upper jiao to lower jiao.
Exiting: deep (center/interior) to superficial (skin surface).
Entering: exterior to interior.
4 disorders of Qi:
Qi stagnation, rebellious qi, sinking qi, and qi exhaustion.
6 functions of Qi:
Propelling, defending, warming, nourishing, transforming, controlling.
*4 classifications of Qi:
Primordial, pectoral, nutritive, and defensive Qi.
*Describe primordial (yuan) Qi.
Yuan Qi.
Also called Innate Qi because it is produced by both pre-heavenly and post-heavenly essence.
Is the most fundamental and important Qi level.
Is the yang of the body, the motivating life force.
Is directly related to lifestyle and diet habits.
Is stored in the kidney and distributed around the body via the San Jiao.
Activates, stimulates, and promotes all bodily functions - growth, development, and reproduction.
Therefore deficiency of Primordial Qi due to inadequate inherited Qi, prolonged disease, or inappropriate lifestyle will lead to widespread deficiency.
Primordial Qi contains and controls both yin and yang
*Describe pectoral (sea of Qi) Qi.
Pectoral Qi is the energy accumulated and acquired by the function of the thorax. Therefore the thorax is considered the Sea of Qi.
Natural fresh air + acquired essence from food.
Pectoral Qi accumulates in the thorax, and ascends up to fill the heart and lungs, and descends through the san jiao to permeate the rest of the body.
It joins Primordial Qi to nourish that supply around acupuncture point STM 30.
Flows through the respiratory tract to nourish the lungs, voice & respiration.
Permeates heart and vessels to promote circulation of blood.
This therefore also affects the body temperature, the movement, and nourishment of the limbs, as well as the senses.
*Describe nutritive (ying) Qi.
Ying Qi.
Is an important aspect of blood - is the qi of the blood.
Is the qi necessary to nourish yin. Also called nutritive - yin.
Necessary to generate and enrich blood.
Is the purest part of the essence derived from food.
Is the extracted vitamins and minerals necessary for the functioning of all organs, meridians & tissue.
Deficiency of nutritive qi will lead to blood xu.
*Describe defensive (wei) Qi.
Wei Qi
Our immune system = our physical defense against the invasion of an eternal pathogen.
Circulates outside the vessels, on the skin and muscle layer, moving inward towards the thorax & abdomen.
Belongs to yang.
Derived from food essence and has a quick and strong action.
Protects the external body and guards against the invasion of external pathogens.
Flows through the organs, muscles, skin & hair to warm and bring strength & nourishment to.
Regulates opening & closing of the pores according to physiological activity.
It regulates sweating and release of body fluids, and temperature.
Is also extracted from food essence but is the most active and Yang part of it, whereas nutritive qi is the yin part.
When defensive qi & nutritive qi combine = coordinated physiological function.
