Immunity is the body's ability to defend against diseases or other potentially damaging foreign bodies. The immune system, therefore, plays a decisive role to help people survive in various environments. In other words, people with weak immune system are more likely to get infections than most other people.
Speaking from the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concept, UTAR Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Dr Yap Yau Pin said, “TCM sees the human body as a whole organism. The body's natural resistance against diseases and its repair ability are defined through its flow of energy that circulates throughout the body. It is known as ‘Healthy Energy’ (正气), which shares a similar concept with the word ‘Immunity’.”
He then continued, “According to ‘The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor’ (黄帝内经), ‘Qi’ (also known as the Vital Energy) defends the body against the invasion of ‘evil’, protects the body, provides heat energy and regulates the body's functional activities. Qi is best defined according to its functions and properties. It can be divided into ‘Primordial Qi’ (元气), ‘Nutritive Qi’ (营气) and ‘Defensive Qi’ (卫气), to name a few. Among all of them, the ‘Defensive Qi’, as the name suggests, aims to defend; this Qi is regulated by the lungs and it flows between the skin and the muscles. It protects the surface of the muscle and against the invasion of external evils. The body's immune function is largely reflected in the function of ‘Defensive Qi’.”
The body’s immune system is essentially made up of certain barriers of defences. The first barrier of the body's immune system is the skin and the mucosal immunity which includes skin, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary tract, lamina propria, and the lymphatic tissue of some organs, such as tonsils, small intestine, lymph nodes, and the vermiform appendix. The distributions and functions of the "Defensive Qi" are somewhat similar to the distribution of the first barrier of the body’s immune system. The "Defensive Qi" belongs to “Yang” properties; it comes from the food essence derived by the spleen and the stomach. It moves outside the blood vessels and circulates in different areas through the “Nutritive Qi”. Internally, it is distributed through the diaphragm and it is scattered around the chest and abdominal cavities. Externally, it moves between the skin and muscles, providing protection. The "Defensive Qi" does not only guard the body against illness and disease but it also regulates the sweat glands and pores and provides nourishment for the skin, hair and muscles.
Dr Yap said, “As written in ‘The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor’, when the evil spirits gather, their Qi will become weak’. This statement implies that the occurrence of disease in immunology is largely due to the fact that the body's immune system could not resist the invasion of pathogens or its toxins (viruses), leading to the rise of illnesses. This is similar with TCM’s understanding of ‘Defensive Qi’ and exogenous diseases.”
He added, “Nowadays, people tend to stress a lot due to their hectic lifestyle, which has been indirectly affecting their “Qi”. To boost their immune system, it is vital for them to gain adequate sleep, do proper exercise, watch their diet and most importantly minimise their stress. The TCM theory also suggests one to replenish their Qi to prevent flu; once our body gathers enough Qi, we no longer need to be afraid of the ‘evil’ invasion. Chinese herbal medicines, such as Radix Astragali (黄耆), Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae (白朮), Radix Saposhnikoviae (防风), and red dates, to name a few, can be used to enhance our resistance. Those who are prone to repeated colds or feel fatigued and experience shortness of breath lacks Qi. Thus, they are recommended to take a medicated diet or tea that can invigorate the Qi and spleen to enhance the body’s immunity.”
Radix Astragali (photo retrieved from online resource)
Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae (photo retrieved from online resource)
Radix Saposhnikoviae (photo retrieved from online resource)
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