According to Chinese medicine, what are the causes of heart and circulation problems?
The body is made up of millions of cells; for them to survive, they need to feed on oxygen. During the feeding process, the body produces waste which must then be carried away and eliminated. This, in a nutshell, is the function of the body´s blood circulation system. But if this system is not working properly, the cells will be under-nourished and will then absorb the toxins which have remained in the body. A situation of this kind will obviously leave the body susceptible to illness.
In our western culture, the heart is often considered as a separate organ in the body, unconnected with the blood circulation system. And indeed poorly functioning blood circulation turns out to be the cause of death in patients more often than mal-function of the heart muscle itself. It is important to make this distinction and for us to ask ourselves how our blood actually circulates. There are various systems present in the body, such as the muscle walls of the arteries, the pumping action of the muscles and veins and the rhythmic movement of the pulmonary diaphragm. Of course the heart is clearly the most important pumping organ here; however, should any one of the other pumping systems fail, then the workload of the heart will be vastly increased.
How can Tai Ji and Qi Gong help?
The practice of Tai Ji and Qi Gong has a balancing effect on our blood pressure. High blood pressure, caused by stress and anxiety, has a knock-on effect on the muscles. Tai Ji and Qi Gong help us to relax our body and teach us how to consciously ease our muscles and release the tension. In the case of low blood pressure, muscle tone is often too weak. By gently building up muscle tone , blood pressure will also regain its correct balance.
Very often we are aware that our heart is functioning properly when we are in a sitting position. But once we start climbing stairs or steps, our heart does not pump sufficient blood. In Tai Ji and Qi Gong the heart uses between 60-80% of its capacity. And in this way, our heart learns how to function correctly.