The TCM Way of Life

July – September 2026

In recent ways, Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM has attracted much attention for its holistic approach to wellness and health. With more awareness of wellness and alternative medicine, TCM treatments, including herbal medicine, acupuncture, cupping, taichi and foot massage, have become popular. 

With more than 2,500 years of health and healing knowledge, TCM is also an entire cultural and philosophical framework that emphasizes the maintenance of the body’s internal balance and the flow of qi (life force or energy). Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, TCM views the human body as a system with interconnected organs. 

As the body of knowledge is vast, the TCM Wellness Workshop conducted on 23rd June by Chai Binhua focused on three areas: lifestyle habits (Yang sheng 养生), ear meridians (Er xue 耳穴) and food therapy (Shi liao食疗). 

Lifestyle habits 养生 

One cornerstone of a good lifestyle is sleep.  

The TCM concept of Zi Wu Liu Zhu (子午流注 or body clock) parallels the Western notion of circadian rhythm but is broader, encompassing nature, the seasons, and cosmic balance. Ideally, our sleep should begin at 9 pm, but in acknowledgement of modern life constraints, Binhua advises aiming for 11 pm to align with the body’s optimal blood replenishment period (11 pm to 3 am).  

Waking at 5 am is considered natural, while insomnia or stirring into consciousness at 3 am may indicate imbalances in the lung (Fei 肺) or kidney (Shen 肾) systems. Binhua stresses that emotions, regulated by the liver (Gan 肝) and gallbladder (Dan 胆), play a significant role in sleep quality. Modern habits like doom scrolling before sleep are seen as emotionally disruptive and counterproductive to health. 

Another lifestyle habit to inculcate is exercise (运动). Exercise for TCM refers to 2 particular aspects: improved circulation (运) and movement or mobility of joints (动). This can be and should be regularly engaged in at all ages. Exercise regimes such as Tai Ji (太极) are highly recommended to be integrated into our daily lifestyle. 

Meridians 

The second focus is on meridians, a western concept that most people can relate to, although it is not precisely a TCM term. To illustrate, Binhua uses the human ear (耳穴), which has acupressure points connected to many organs and body parts. Highlighting that anyone can massage the meridian points in their ears to experience tangible effects, this is a demonstration of TCM’s practical application beyond abstract theory. 

Food in TCM 食疗 

The third area is Shi Liao (食疗), or food therapy, which covers so much ground that Binhua limits his discussion to basic principles. He emphasizes the importance of water consumption, particularly its temperature. In TCM, concepts of “cold” and “warm” are defined relative to our body temperature. For example, TCM distinguishes between “yin water” (boiled and cooled) and “yang water” (hot water). 

Drinking ice-cold water is discouraged, while warm water (around 40 to 50°C) is considered optimal, and supports digestion and circulation. This aligns with common knowledge that when we have a sore throat or a cough, we should avoid cold drinks, as it would provoke coughing.  

TCM also associates the colour of food to the nutrition that affects major organs: green vegetables like spinach support the liver, red-coloured food like tomatoes reinforce the heart, yellow-hued lemons favour the spleen, while white foods like fish and rice suit the lungs, and black fungus and sesame are good for the kidneys.  

Major food flavours are also related to the body; in particular bitter-flavoured food benefits the heart, food that is sour bolsters the liver, sweetness profits the spleen,  pungent or spicy foods are advantageous to the lungs, and salty food help the kidneys.  

Conclusion 

Throughout the talk, Binhua stresses that the core foundations of TCM philosophy are the yin-yang balance and the five elements (Wu Xing 五行).  

In ancient Chinese philosophy, the Yin-yang balance states that all things exist as inseparable, complementary, and also act as opposing forces, such as dark and light, or passive and active. Within the body and mind, achieving balance is essential for personal health, harmony, and overall well-being.  

Wu Xing describes the dynamic relationships of mutual support and restraint among organ systems. For example, the lung (metal) and heart (fire) interact to regulate exertion during running, illustrating how TCM links physiological processes in ways distinct from modern biology. He cautions against equating TCM terms for organs directly with Western systems of anatomy, for example spleen (Pi 脾) in TCM refers broadly to the digestive and circulatory functions, not just the anatomical spleen. 

Binhua encourages openness and humility in accepting and understanding TCM. Its knowledge base is wide and deep, and may sometimes feel confusing. 

 

If any reader is interested in a further session on TCM with Binhua, kindly let us know.  

Binhua is a registered TCM practitioner, who also happens to be a counsellor with WE CARE. 

By Leslie Goh