East-West Perspectives 东西方之观点
The Contribution of Daoist Yang-sheng Philosophy to the Modern Self-Care Movement By Ande Pula The concept of self-care, especially in health related disciplines, has become increasingly relevant in today’s world. The main reason lies in the slow realization that modern medicine only focuses on the symptoms rather than the cause. Looking to medicine to treat illnesses and injuries has become unquestionable. These attitudes often neglect to pay sufficient attention to the causes of the contracted diseases. These are the main reasons why self-care has become more popular than ever. Today’s generations have real-
ized the importance of taking care of their health and are continually looking out for ways and methods to preserve health and attain longer life. One of the challenges of the modern world is its fast-paced environment which leaves little time for the individual’s needs. High stress lifestyles and a constant lack of time have created unhealthy habits. Mind-Body exercises and philosophies have gained recognition as a way to regain control and balance in one’s life. June-July 2013
Amongst different philosophical ideas Daoist Yangsheng is one that is becoming more popular. Yansheng literally means nurturing and preserving life’s energy. In a similar way to the modern self-care movement, it looks into keeping one’s body healthy by means of proper diet and various exercises. This essay is going to explore Daoist Yangsheng and its beneficial qualities. I will look into the modern self-care movement today and at the ways Yangsheng philosophy can be of great help to those who are looking to improve their lifestyle, those looking to achieve better health and longer life, and most importantly those looking to achieve a level of balance and harmony within themselves and the environment they live in. Before the first scientific achievements in medicine, people had to cope on their own in the face of illness. The era of modern medicine has changed all of that. “At the low point of self-care – around the 1960’s in the West – self-care and self -medication were regarded as unnecessary and potentially even unhealthy practices. This paternalistic approach to medicine, supported by health systems designed to treat sickness (rather than to prevent disease) remains a familiar aspect of healthcare in many countries to this day.” Undeniably medicine has had a positive impact on generations of people. Statistics show that “In 1900, the leading cause of death was influenza and pneumonia - which peaked in 1918 when between 50 and 130 million people around the world died in a pandemic.” Because medicine has improved greatly since then, the statistics nowadays display a completely different picture. Research done by the World Self-Medication IndusYang-Sheng (Nurturing Life)
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