The ancient Chinese people early adopted acupuncture and moxibustion for health and vitality. In the "Huangdi Neijing," doctors skilled in health-preserving acupuncture were called "superior physicians," and in "Ling Shu·Reverse and Forward," it states: "The superior physician treats what has not yet arisen."
By the Tang Dynasty, acupuncture and moxibustion had gained significant importance. For instance, "Qianjin Yaofang" discussed numerous materials related to acupuncture for health preservation. In the Song Dynasty, Wang Zhizhong’s "Zhenjiu Zisheng Jing" recorded using acupuncture to prevent various diseases, such as needling the Wind Gate Back to prevent carbuncles. During the Ming Dynasty, medical practitioners advocated for acupuncture and moxibustion for health preservation. Gao Wu wrote in "Zhenjiu Juying": "To needle without illness is to anticipate, to anticipate is to prevent disease." "Anticipate" here refers to prevention. In the Qing Dynasty, Pan Weiru elaborated on the health-preserving effects of acupuncture in his book "Weisheng Yaoyao," stating: "The body’s zang-fu organs, meridians, qi, blood, muscles, and skin are daily vulnerable to external pathogens. Ancient people used acupuncture and moxibustion as fundamental practices... Thus, they improve joint function and regulate qi and blood, enabling rapid removal of pathogens. Once pathogens are removed, the body’s righteous qi recovers, and illness heals itself."
Acupuncture health preservation involves stimulating specific points on the body with fine needles to activate meridian qi, thereby enhancing metabolism and achieving the goal of strengthening the body and prolonging life. This method is known as acupuncture health preservation. Although the basic approach is similar to acupuncture for treatment, the focus differs: acupuncture for treatment aims to correct imbalances in yin-yang and qi-blood, while acupuncture for health preservation focuses on strengthening the body and enhancing metabolic capacity to achieve longevity. Due to this difference in focus, there are variations in point selection and needle techniques. For health preservation, the stimulation intensity should be moderate, the number of points limited, and primarily focused on points with strengthening effects.
Health-preserving moxibustion is one of China’s unique health-preserving methods, useful not only for general health but also for rehabilitation in those with chronic weakness. Health-preserving moxibustion involves applying moxibustion to specific points on the body to harmonize qi and blood, regulate meridians, nourish zang-fu organs, and extend life. "Medical Introduction" states: "When medicine cannot reach and acupuncture cannot help, moxibustion must be used," indicating that moxibustion can achieve effects that acupuncture and medicine sometimes cannot. The health-preserving effects of moxibustion were clearly documented as early as in "Bian Que Xinshu": "When healthy, regularly moxibustion at Guanyuan, Qihai, and Mingmen... Even if not achieving immortality, one can still live over a hundred years."
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