This article is transcribed by SimpRead 简悦, original source mp.weixin.qq.com
What is Sick Qi ▲ Zeng Qian (Amateur)
Early in my medical studies, my father talked to me about sick qi. At first, it seemed mysterious. As I practiced this profession over many years, I became more deeply aware of it. At the beginning, my experience of sick qi came through external treatments.
Many colleagues probably have similar experiences. For example, sometimes after treating someone with shoulder pain externally, I would find my own shoulder showing similar symptoms. Sometimes similar issues also appeared after external treatments on other body parts. In the first three or four years of practicing medicine, I performed many external treatments, and I often had pain here and there myself. Usually, resting would resolve it.
I was very puzzled. Is it possible that when helping others I am also harmed? That seems unfair. Good deeds should be rewarded. This was a very naive thought at first. I often reflected on whether my techniques were problematic or weak. Upon careful consideration, the methods were all very standardized and skillful, and the therapeutic effects on patients were not bad. At that time, I could not understand it. Later I realized that I simply did not truly understand some energy rules.
During those years, I even became somewhat accustomed to it. Nevermind, I suffered a little for others, but inside I felt somewhat uncomfortable and unhappy.
There was a time of intense acupuncture use. I administered thousands of acupuncture needles per month, but never stuck more than six needles per person in a porcupine-like manner. During this time, I treated many patients with pain and common internal diseases. After working, I found that after puncturing some patients, I would become short of breath, sweat, feel very tired, and even my eyelids would twitch. When leaving the clinic to go to fresh air, these symptoms disappeared quickly. During herbal prescription processes, I also often felt very tired after taking pulse diagnosis and writing prescriptions. Sometimes, even while taking the pulse of patients with chest pain, my own chest would feel uncomfortable. Such experiences were frequent. I asked friends, and they also had similar experiences. So, I began to pay serious attention to these phenomena.
I remember very clearly that once after only four or five needles into a cancer patient, I immediately felt chest tightness, hand trembling, and sweating all over. Someone told me my body was too weak, but I felt it was not that simple, because the previous patient treated did not cause me any discomfort. Treating many patients with very cold and Yin conditions also easily tired me, even if for a short time. Sometimes I would feel dizzy. Sometimes even during questioning, I could sense sick qi mounting on me. Among friends I know, some are so sensitive that just taking the pulse of severely ill patients causes their arms to go numb. Some students also showed signs like edema and anorexia after exposure to severely ill patients during internships. Observing some colleagues who long-term perform scraping, acupuncture, and other external treatments on severely ill patients, I found their qi and energy to be insufficient. Some bodies were chronically weak. Especially those practitioners engaged long-term in foot therapy and massage often have inexplicable physical issues. This means that sick qi transmission definitely exists.
Over these years, my deepening understanding and awareness of sick qi have been a process of gradually recognizing various invisible relationships between doctors and patients.
First of all, sick qi is not superstition; it truly exists. It is non-material but is a kind of invisible field behind the material that affects people’s spirit and emotions. It is stained and attached due to the action of thoughts, creating a heavy and obstructive low frequency. It is not exactly the same as infectious harmful microbes. To give the simplest yet cruel example of the existence of invisible energy: those whose occupations involve slaughtering dogs or cattle, when dogs and cows see them, their legs go weak. Especially when dogs are taken near slaughterhouses, even the fiercest dogs become immediately cowardly. All sentient beings in this world have their own energy values.
Diagnosing others is essentially an encounter, collision, exchange, and deep interaction between one energy field and another. Doctors with enough clinical experience and certain awareness will discover one truth: basically, effective patients are those whose energy fields you can control.
The level of energy, combined with the influence of thoughts, plays many decisive roles.
This world itself is composed of both tangible and intangible elements. No person exists independently; everyone relies on others around or beside them for support. This is a complex and vast chain. Every person is both a node in this chain and a component. Between people, there are tangible material exchanges and various emotional and psychological intangible exchanges. Transmission of sick qi is naturally part of this intangible exchange. Doctors and patients inevitably undergo some degree of spiritual, emotional, or affective exchange. We try to avoid the ups and downs of physical substance—growth, decay, aging—through tangible forms, but the intangible growth, decay, and aging of spirit are often easily overlooked.
Wherever there is qi, there must be its manifestation. Like weather, with various types and phenomena. Clear skies, gentle breeze, warm currents, or thunderstorms, gale, volcanoes, blizzards. Humans are no different: righteous qi and righteous colors, evil qi and evil manifestations. The five organs store essence and qi, qi originates from organs, color follows qi’s radiance. When the five organs are unstable, righteous qi is insufficient, so those with bad color often have sick qi. Especially those who are chronically ill with scattered spirits, weakened essence, and lethargy, outwardly projecting uncomfortable emotions, often heavy with contaminated qi. In many complicated chronic diseases, when you investigate deeply, you will find a vast amount of karmic cause and effect behind them. Is it so easy for someone to fall ill? Without multiple accumulated evil causes and conditions, it is truly difficult to have a chronic, hard-to-heal disease.
Those with withered appearances, weak thoughts, unfocused eyes, emaciated and hoarse voices, shaky gait, stiff muscles and rough flesh, carry a large amount of negative emotional projection.
Suspicion, harsh speech, anger, confinement, darkness, depravity, decay, etc., sometimes hidden, sometimes directly radiated.
You can imagine that a doctor sitting in a busy clinic faces all kinds of “weathers.” Just after a tornado passes, a heavy rain comes, then a scorching heat, and maybe later a hailstorm, passing through dark clouds, bouncing in the dark currents or torrents. Full of various external traps.
Therefore, don’t think about diagnosis as a simple matter. In traditional Chinese culture, when meeting, people perform a respectful bow called “zuo yi,” with the standing disciple standing respectfully. This bow probably dates back to the Zhou rites. No physical contact occurs. Those who do not understand the deep meaning think it’s very conservative. In fact, it is a well-considered self-protection. Ancient people were very wise; even normal interpersonal encounters are inevitably a process of many invisible energy interactions.
Being a medical practitioner truly made me understand one of the most important things: first, do not fall into various traps, although I still often slip into them. Examine if you are prone to falling, starting from yourself to look for causes. Most of what we do unconsciously comes from some kind of expectation. It is not completely sincere without fabrication. Therefore, there is always some weakness in ourselves. If one’s merit or virtue is insufficient, one is easily harmed invisibly. Without internal enemies, external enemies cannot pose a threat.
Where sick qi surrounds, abyss and evil dragons coexist. How to not fall into the abyss or be bitten by the evil dragon—this is a set of lessons for doctors. As a medical practitioner, there are several internal enemies. Wanting praise from patients, fearing patients’ criticism, hoping your efforts are reciprocated, craving fame but fearing obscurity and neglect. These internal enemies make us somewhat disingenuous and artificial. Often, these forces mysteriously cause illness. Like seeks like, otherwise resonance cannot occur.
Life has its own way out. After contracting sick qi, our bodies will undergo rejection reactions. Many illnesses are essentially rejection phenomena. We need to maintain clear understanding of this. For example, when treating lower back pain, if your own back aches simultaneously or shortly after, that is a rejection phenomenon. It is an abnormal perception occurring during the body’s process of expelling excess. Under normal body function, we cannot feel any organ inside ourselves. Once we feel the location of an organ, that area has a problem. While observing all kinds of bodily self-perceptions, it is more important to further observe whether the mind has become stained: are you falling into those traps? Therefore, from a certain perspective, sick qi is actually our master teacher.
In fact, in my personal experience, every time I encounter sick qi, if I can perform a good internal transformation, I get an opportunity to peel off my outer skin.
To add, the body parts most sensitive to sick qi are the major joints. For example, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles. These skeletal parts around joints are most vulnerable to external energy invasions. These areas have intersections of tendons and bones and consume much qi and blood, serving as major interfaces between internal and external circulation. We must ensure these parts don’t accumulate too much stagnation. When stiffness in these tendons and bones appears, they must be promptly loosened and relieved. Then along the body’s vertical lines: the brow center, chest, lower abdomen, and the back’s lumbar and sacral region. Also the knuckles. You can maintain proper qi flow in these areas by nurturing the habit of mindful breathing (keeping the body upright). These efforts aim only to keep the body capable of expelling illness. But the real power comes from within.
The body will eventually reach a point of no return. If before that day, one does not continuously reflect, as sick qi accumulates, serious problems in oneself will inevitably emerge. That is why many doctors are puzzled, including myself, asking why, when relieving patients’ pain, we ourselves get injured — this unfairness is relative. Only when merit is insufficient do people feel unfairness.
If one does not understand reason, the body won’t be well either. When both material and spiritual are lacking, if not you, who else will sick qi harm? Conversely, when understanding and body improve, chances of harm naturally decrease. Therefore, how can sick qi not be a master teacher? Bit by bit, there is hope. And never negotiate with your own life as if saying: “If I give you this, can you give me that?” That does not exist. Only by laboring along the path, picking up our own footprints, can we know the depth of our journey.
Worries are also self-witnessed. In medicine, protecting oneself is essential. Essentially, this starts from avoiding accumulation of evil causes. Do not lightly harm patients’ qi and blood but sincerely understand that “healing” is simply helping patients restore energy balance within their bodies. With this mindset, the accumulation of evil causes naturally reduces, and one continuously obtains wonderful support from correct faith and knowledge.
Protecting patients is protecting the doctor oneself. Protecting the doctor is also protecting the patients.
Bad affinities should also be avoided as much as possible. Normally, diagnosis should be done within one’s capacity, not exhausting oneself to the point of loss. Originally, you may be an east wind but end up defeated by the west wind. A common person’s mentality should guide oneself: do what you can within your abilities. The bigger your energy, the bigger the tasks. Many good deeds turn bad by overstepping actual ability. The most common times to get lost are when primary-level doctors are overwhelmed by heavy workload and mental exhaustion. This can only be detected through awareness to see if you are falling into traps. Thankfully, ancient sages left teachings: external labor should be done in matters without internal worry — this is the true achievement. Even if there is excessive labor at work, if the heart does not dwell on the matter and truly accomplishes it, that is remarkable. Only those who can do this will have the possibility to undertake greater and broader goals in the future.
The eight winds come and go in the mundane world; pure virtue and complete spirit require constant cultivation.
Besides avoiding medical relationships beyond one’s ability, inspecting internal enemies is also a way of protection. From a tangible and controllable level, we can do many effective ways to expel illness, such as practicing methods to cultivate sufficient yang qi, including tai chi, five animal frolics, and Yi Jin Jing. For example, daily prayers before clinic to regulate proper motivation, sitting quietly or standing post after diagnosis, lighting incense, playing guqin, reading scriptures to energize spirit, walking in refreshing and open natural environments to dissipate stagnated qi, carrying obsidian, placing cinnabar, realgar, or talismans on the diagnosis table — but all these tangible acts ultimately aim to enable us to have the capacity and awareness to return inside ourselves, inspecting the presence of those major enemies.
Human illness arises from physiological causes, karmic causes, and past life causes. A medical practitioner also has their own karma. Being able to practice medicine this life is perhaps a divine gift: a feasible path to cultivate the mind. As mentioned before, over the years the deepening understanding of sick qi is also a process of recognizing the invisible relationships between doctors and patients. So, for many so-called patients, I want to say that beyond tangible treatments like acupuncture and medicine, without self-cultivation, insight, and using the mind’s power, words, deeds, and good intentions to sever karmic ties, the truth is that no medicine in this world can bring you rebirth. If a doctor can gradually realize through diagnosis and treatment the process of energy expenditure, transformation, and replenishment, then I think this is the fundamental beginning of the awakening path.
When we see a person suffering illness because of running after money, perhaps we should realize that people too easily equate money with happiness, constantly trapped by it, ultimately exchanging bones and flesh for gold, then losing that gold to illness. This is only an example. In fact, in the process of diagnosing, we can reflect on many things through patients’ suffering. Eventually, you will find that the futility of daily life lies mostly in seeking gain. The greatest reward in medicine, I think, is to first know the body and then know the world.
Through practicing medicine, prescribing herbals, researching acupuncture, diagnosing, the ultimate goal is to obtain the fruit of wisdom—not to exchange life for life.
We all face setbacks in life and fall ill, fundamentally because we cannot control our emotions. Similarly, when a doctor encounters setbacks in practice, I believe skills are secondary; the critical matter is losing control over emotions. Therefore, a part of our mental energy is lost, causing us to fall into certain traps.