Our pre-Heaven inheritance represents our constitution, which depends on our parents. If the pre-Heaven inheritance is deficient, this will leave the individual more susceptible to the whole range of external and internal factors, which can possibly cause a disharmony.
Therefore, if we believe that we have any constitutional weakness, we need to take particular care to ensure that any other potential causes of disharmony in our lives are avoided if at all possible - or at least minimized.
Chinese medicine also recognizes the importance of lifestyle, although this will be interpreted in a completely different manner.
Too much physical work can impair the Qi. And with excessive lifting, the Lungs become deficient. Too much mental activity can damage the Spleen and make the Yin deficient. Someone who works outdoors is more liable to be at risk from Cold, Damp, Wind, Heat, and so on.
For example, many athletes who train to an excessive degree, and on the face of it appear very fit, are often very susceptible to infections and injuries. In the long run they may become chronically Qi deficient because of overstressing the Kidneys. It will be noted that many of the Chinese exercise regimes such as Qigong and Taiji are not obviously aerobic in nature like many Western forms of exercise. These Chinese exercise regimes do, however, offer a more balanced approach to exercise consistent with the principles of Chinese medicine. It is evident that good health and longevity are notable in the practitioners of such activities, which cannot always be said for practitioners of Western forms of exercise.
The Stomach and the Spleen have the responsibility for processing the ingested food and extracting the Gu Qi, which is then passed to the Lungs as a central part of the production of Qi in the body. If the Spleen has to work against poor and damaging foods, then it will suffer especially from Damp - and the follow-on effect will deplete the Qi of the body as a whole.
Again, balance rather than specific do's and don'ts represents the Chinese approach to diet.
If an individual follows a healthy, balanced diet, then the Spleen will remain healthy and the Qi of the body will be sufficient. The overemphasis on sweet and processed foods in many Western diets does not lend itself to such a balance.
There are various prescriptions as to what is excessive sexual activity, and many Westerners would have different ideas on this subject, but generally the Chinese system emphasizes a natural decline in this activity as part of the aging process.
The Chinese would also consider events such as plagues and epidemics as belonging here. Although they may be a problem in certain parts of the world, they are generally not an issue for the West. Of course accidents and injuries also occur in the West, and the west has plenty of other problems such as pollution and contamination of food that can readily be placed in this category.
