What are the medical perspectives of Daoism？

Daoism values human life and stresses the saying”My life depends on my own effort；it is not dictated by Heaven.”Daoist medicine aims at long life and immortality.According to a unique system that borrows from traditional medicine while maintaining particular Daoist characteristics and principle，the concepts of Daoist medicine stress on the Interaction of Heaven and Man and the Correspondence Between Heaven and Man. Daoist medical thought teaches that the human body shares the same structure as that of the cosmos，so persons should nurture and preserve their lives in accordance with the law of nature.It recognizes the presence of a vital power and seeks to maintainhealthy vitality and eliminate diseased vitality through a balance of the human body’s physiological functions.Daoist medical practices encourage the cultivation of both bodily life and mental tranquility，which will benefit the body and contribute to longevity.

Concretely their practices include herbalism，acupuncture，and various decoctions as well as breathing exercise，abstaining from grains，inward focus in meditation and martial arts.

What is the underlying philosophy of Daoist health cultivation？

In a narrow sense，Daoist health cultivation aims at a harmonious state of body and mind that can achieve longevity.But in a broader sense，it depends on the Daoist view of life，theory of immortality，and techniques to achieve immortality.

Based on the Daoist cosmology，the Dao is thought to be responsible for the creation of the universe and human beings，and human beings can achieve an ideal state of health when they abide by the law of the Dao and maintain harmonious integration with the nature.

According to the book called Collection on Life Cultivation，the key points for life cultivation include the achievement of mental tranquility，the preservation of vitality and body nourishment.According to another book called Scripture of Supreme Peace，persons need to focus on mental tranquility，treasure vitality and worship the Deity.

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