In China, people send greetings by wishing a person 'a long and healthy life'. Our natural state is to be healthy and happy. This includes having a calm mind, a healthy body and emotional resourcefulness. This book reveals the profound, yet simple health maintenance secrets that Chinese medicine has developed over many centuries. These secrets enable you to deal with stress and return to your natural balance. In this book, you will discover guidelines about many aspects of your lifestyle including: - UNDERSTANDING YOUR OWN PARTICULAR CONSTITUTION - EATING WELL FOR YOUR OWN UNIQUE NEEDS - BEING EMOTIONALLY RESILIENT AND USING SETBACKS TO GROW - FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN WORK, REST AND EXERCISE - RECOGNIZING HOW THE ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS US ALL By practising these secrets you will learn how to recover the ability to nourish and protect your energy, overcome illness, and feel an easy joy in simply being alive. AUTHOR BIOG: Angela Hicks has been a practitioner of Chinese Medicine for over 30 years. She is an acupuncturist and herbalist, and practices qigong. She is Joint Principal of the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine in Reading, UK, and is the author of The Acupuncture Handbook and co-author of Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture and Healing Your Emotions. CONTENTS: Author's note Introduction Chapter 1. You Can Be Really Well You really can live longer! What's in this for me? An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure Living a qi-enhancing lifestyle The true 'pill' - lifestyle change Listen to your body What will be the benefits? How to read this book Chapter 2. The Secret of Respecting Our Constitution Our constitutional essence and long-term health Secrets 1-9 1. Conserve your constitutional essence 2. Assessing your constitutional strength 3. Accept your limits and live within their confines 4. Important transformation times that can change your life 5. 'Do the month' after pregnancy 6. Looking after the affairs of the bedroom 7. The male menopause is not what you think! 8. Strengthen your constitutional essence by breathing into the dantien 9. Strengthen your constitutional essence by sensing into the dantien Chapter 3. Dietary Secrets Eat food as medicine Secrets 10-31 10. Balance the proportions of your food 11. Rely on 'economical' foods in your daily diet 12. Choose vegetables - full of rich, life-enhancing qi 13. Avoid too much raw and cold food 14. Don't overdose on 'rich' foods 15. Know your phlegm and damp-forming food 16. Lose weight effortlessly! 17. Be an 'almost' vegetarian 18. If you are vegetarian - be a well-balanced one 19. Take good-quality food 20. Avoid 'spoiled' foods 21. An enjoyable diet is the most nourishing 22. Know the temperature of your food 23. Not too hot or cold - keep it balanced 24. Blend the tastes of your food 25. Find tasty substitutes 26. Eat regular meals 27. Eat in the right conditions 28. Try sprouting - nutritious food from tiny seedlings 29. Know how and when to drink fluids 30. Drink green tea or other healthy drinks 31. Be alert for food sensitivities Chapter 4. Secrets to Balance Our Emotions Our emotions and our health Secrets 32-46 32. Emotions are a key to good health 33. Anger makes qi rise 34. Fear makes qi descend and worry knots the qi 35. Grief and sadness dissolve qi 36. Joy slows qi down 37. Take pleasure from the world 38. Know the importance of humour 39. Gain perspective on your emotions 40. Become present to your bodily 'felt sense' 41. Learn from your difficulties 42. Use talking therapy 43. Use writing therapy 44. The importance of positive goals 45. Release your blocked feelings 46. Get help when you need it Chapter 5. Secrets of Balancing Work, Rest and Exercise The balance of work, rest and exercise Secrets 47-68 47. Balance yin and yang in your work and rest 48. Convalescence - the forgotten secret 49. After a miscarriage, take time to rest 50. The positive effects of fulfilling work 51. Keep your life regular 52. Points to relieve smoker's cravings 53. Exercise while you work 54. Walk your way to health 55. Sleep - the best natural cure 56. Sleep in a healthy posture 57. Take a 'power' nap 58. Make time for rest and relaxation 59. Scan your body to relax 60. Exercise can be 'internal' or 'external' 61. Exercise according to your age, activity, build and constitution 62. Know the 70% principle for all activity 63. Find an exercise routine 64. Find a regular practice space 65. Exercise in the 'spirit' of qigong 66. What you learn from a good teacher becomes yours for life 67. A simple self-exercise more effective than massage 68. Use Chinese metal balls as a simple longevity tool Chapter 6. Secrets to Protect Ourselves from the Environment How the weather affects our health Secrets 69-78 69. Take extra care when there's a cold snap 70. Your pain might be caused by cold! 71. Cold can cause infertility and other lower-body symptoms 72. A well-kept secret - the effects of 'wind' 73. How to prevent colds, flu and other acute problems 74. Tired all the time? 'Damp' could be the cause 75. Protect yourself from the effects of damp 76. Dryness - of course it dries you up! 77. Know how to beat the heat 78. Flow with the seasons to stay healthy Chapter 7. Secrets of Making Lifestyle Changes Get ready to make lifestyle changes that stick! Secrets 79-88 79. Four important stages of integrating lifestyle changes 80. Find ways to become motivated 81. Make your goals specific and achievable 82. Allow yourself some imperfections 83. Take teeny tiny steps 84. Do what you find enjoyable 85. Find healthy substitutes 86. Change at your own speed 87. See yourself changing your lifestyle 88. Don't just read about it - use it! Chapter 8. Staying Healthy and Preventing Disease - Anxiety and panic attacks - Asthma - Back pain - Chronic fatigue syndrome - Colds and flu - Constipation - Depression - Diabetes - Diarrhoea - Headaches and migraines - Hypertension - Indigestion - Insomnia - Joint problems - Menopausal hot flushes - Period pains - Premenstrual tension - Skin conditions Notes Glossary Reading list Useful addresses Index.