Sun Simiao's Health Preservation - Maintaining a proper lifestyle can ensure a long life

During the Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang dynasties, there was a group of health preservation experts who specialized in the study of men and women, calling it the "Art of sexual Intercourse", believing it to be a secret method for health preservation and longevity. Among them, there were both absurd and unreasonable theories as well as reasonable elements. Sun Simiao carefully summarized the experiences of his predecessors and attached great importance to health preservation in the room, listing it as one of the ten key points of health preservation. Many correct viewpoints and methods were put forward. Sun Simiao believed that sexual desire is a physiological need of human beings and cannot be absolutely prohibited. "A man cannot do without a woman, and a woman cannot do without a man. Without a woman, the mind will be aroused; when the mind is aroused, the spirit will be exhausted; when the spirit is exhausted, life expectancy will be shortened." Therefore, forcibly suppressing sexual desire would go against physiological needs. Not only would it be of no benefit to health preservation, but it would also harm health and cause diseases. If it is forcibly suppressed and blocked, it is difficult to maintain and easy to lose, causing people to leak sperm and urine to become turbid, leading to diseases caused by the interaction of ghosts. A single loss can affect a hundred. This kind of abnormal ejaculation is far more harmful to the body than normal sexual intercourse between men and women. Absolute abstinence is harmful to both men and women, and in fact, it cannot be accepted or practiced by the majority of people. Sun Simiao, adhering to the principle of "not going against the joy of one's nature" in health preservation, proposed methods of health preservation in the room, the essence of which is to have a balanced sexual life and harmony between men and women. The affection between men and women is a common part of human relations. It should not be forcibly prohibited, nor should it be excessive. The key is to have moderation. According to Sun Simiao's view, for healthy married adults, having sexual intercourse twice a month, twenty-four times a year, is the most beneficial to their health. The frequency of sexual intercourse can also be agreed upon based on age. For instance, "A person of twenty years old has a discharge every four days." Those who are thirty years old have a discharge every eight days, and those who are forty years old have a discharge every sixteen days. A person at the age of fifty has diarrhea every twenty days. At the age of sixty, one should close the mind and avoid ejaculation." Sun's understanding is completely in line with human physiological requirements and is similar to the understanding of modern medicine. For the elderly, those over sixty should practice the method of closure and consolidation, that is, to communicate without leakage. If one is old and does not know "concentration", and whenever there is a desire, they give and release, it often harms the body and prolongs life. In the early years of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, there was an elderly man in his seventies from a mountain village who told Sun Simiao that his Yang energy had been increasing recently, and he wanted to sleep with a family woman during the day, as all spring affairs would come to pass. It was unknown whether this was a good sign or a bad omen. Sun Simiao told the old man that this was an abnormal and inauspicious omen. "When one's feet are old and one's heart has long been shut down and desires have ceased, suddenly the spring mood surges. Isn't this abnormal?" Just as a blazing fire is about to dry up, it must first dim and then brighten, and when the brightness stops, it will cease. More than a month later, the old man fell ill and died. Sun Simiao used this example to illustrate that one should restrain desires and preserve essence. The relationship between desire and essence is like that between fire and oil; excessive fire leads to fuel consumption, while too much desire harms essence. Therefore, in terms of health preservation, "Whenever one senses that the Yang energy is constantly surging, one must be cautious and restrain it. One must not let one's mind wander and exhaust oneself to harm oneself." Not only the elderly but also young and middle-aged people need to restrain their desires and preserve their essence. This is a major principle of health preservation. Abstinence and sperm preservation do not mean abstinence. The harmony between men and women is a common human relationship. One is to have moderation, and the other is harmony. Harmony, in essence, refers to a fulfilling and harmonious sexual life, which enables both men and women to achieve sexual satisfaction, thereby bringing spiritual joy and being beneficial to health. This is also one of the contents of the ancient indoor health preservation techniques. But to achieve this is no easy task. It requires mutual cooperation between the man and the woman and the mastery of certain methods. Sun pointed out, "The way of a concubine is not to start the union before the qi is moved and the Yang energy is weak. One must first play slowly to harmonize the spirit and the mind. Only after a long time can the Yin energy be obtained." "Play with the girl first,..." To touch the hearts of both men and women, that is to say, before a man and a woman have formal sexual intercourse, there should be a stage of playful flirting to fully engage both sides, which makes it easier to achieve sexual harmony. Generally speaking, men's sexual excitement comes quickly and they are more likely to reach orgasm, while women's sexual excitement is slow and less likely to reach orgasm, but it lasts longer. So the main stage of preparation before sexual intercourse is to wait for the woman to be fully emotional, which makes it easier to achieve sexual harmony between both parties. The significance of Sun's emphasis on touching both men and women lies precisely here. After sexual intercourse, one should guide the flow of qi, clench teeth and drink the saliva (i.e., the saliva in the mouth), and focus the mind on the dantian to help restore the essence and energy, that is, "Men and women should rest separately, and the mind should coexist and be contemplated." This kind of sexual harmony technique aimed at sexual harmony meets people's physiological needs and indeed contributes to their mental and physical health. In conclusion, Sun Simiao's practice of sexual health preservation adheres to the principles of proper discipline in the room and harmony between men and women, breaking through the forbidden zones bound by feudal constraints and providing valuable experience for today's health preservation.