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What is this mysterious thing called Qi anyway? For quite some time I have been working, breathing, resting, eating and simply living with that question.I do not know any larger and more universal concept than that of Qi. It has been an intrinsic part of Chinese philosophy, culture, and medicine since the beginning of its recorded history. Qi is a difficult word to translate. The original character translates literally as vapor steam, gas, and rice or grain. This indicates that Qi can be seen as immaterial as vapor and as dense and material as rice. Depending on one’s viewpoint and use, “Qi” has also been translated as energy, master force, life force, vital force, and matter. The way the Chinese describe Qi is not by analyzing or speculating, but by its functions.Two aspects of Qi may be particularly relevant to human life: 1) Qi manifests simultaneously on the physical and spiritual level; 2) Qi is constantly changing in varying states of aggregation.Within the body, Qi has five major functions:
- Qi creates and accompanies all movement in the body. Walking, breathing, heartbeat, eating, speaking, thinking, growth, development – all depend on Qi. There are four directions of the constantly moving Qi – ascending, descending, leaving and entering.
- Qi originates transformation in the body where food, essence, the fluids are transformed into blood. Air is transformed into Qi. The mother’s touch calms the baby. These changes come from Qi’s ability to transform.
- Where Qi protects the body it is also called Defensive Qi, resisting the external invasion of the body. It travels between skin and muscles, and regulates the sweat glands and pores.
- Qi warms the body; your warm hands and feet are the result of this function.
- Qi controls the retention of the body’s organs and substances. It stops bleeding due to its function of holding the blood within blood vessels, controls sweating and salivation, and holds organs in the proper place.
Besides different functions, Chinese medical texts indicate various forms of Qi. Original Qi (Yuan Qi) derives from pre-heaven essence formed by parents at the time of conception. It is stored in-between the kidneys. It activates the kidney Qi, facilitates the transformation of Qi and blood, and motivates all organ functions on a daily basis. Food-Grain Qi (Gu-Qi) has food as its source and the spleen is the organ which produces it. It combines with air to form the gathering Qi in the chest. Gathering-Chest-Ancestral Qi (Zhong Qi) nourishes the heart and lungs. It enhances and promotes respiration and blood movement, and controls speech and strength of voice. True-Righteous-Normal Qi (Zhen Qi) is formed from air and food with the catalyzing effect of original Qi. True Qi assumes two different forms: Nutritive Qi (Ying Qi) and Defensive Qi (Wei Qi).Nutritive Qi (Ying Qi) is closely related to blood and flows in the blood vessels as well as in the channels. It nourishes the internal organs and the whole body. Defensive Energy (Wei Qi) being a coarser form of Qi, flows in outer layers of the body, warms the muscles, fills up the skin, enters the space between skin and muscles, and opens the pores. Qi is best described by its manifestations, functions and aspects, as it is almost impossible to measure or grasp it.Western science has extreme difficulty in defining and measuring Qi. Nevertheless there have been various attempts to at least indicate the possible presence of body energy or life force. The most promising studies by the French doctor Darras concluded that there is a probability of a particular force of electromagnetic nature that acted upon isotopes and propogated them along acupuncture meridians as measured by movement and speed. Injection of isotopes into sham acupuncture points did not produce any migration. Many other studies have drawn similar conclusions. There is a force in the body, it has electromagnetic quality, moves with precise speed within the channel system and is separated from vascular, lymphatic, and nervous systems in the body.I understand that cultivating my Qi is the source of my love to my family and my compassion to my patients.My the Qi stay with you and nourish you.
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