Continuity and Change in Dao Yin:Comparing and Contrasting the Therapeutic Exercises in Yin Shu(The Book of Pulling,c.2nd Century BCE)and Zhu Bing Yuan Hou Lun(Treatise on the Origins and Manifestations of Various Diseases,610 CE)

The manuscript Yin Shu(The Book of Pulling),excavated from Zhangjiashan Han Tomb No.247,is the earliest surviving text on therapeutic exercise known as Dao Yin(lit.guiding and pulling).Discovered in 1983,this Dao Yin text,together with the drawings of 44 figures performing“guiding and pulling”exercises found in the Mawangdui Han Tomb in 1974,are of great significance to the study of the early history of Dao Yin.Prior to these discoveries,researchers into Dao Yin relied mainly on material found in the Dao Zang(the Daoist Canon),compiled in 1145.This led to their conclusion that Dao Yin was essentially Daoist.The development of Dao Yin reached its zenith during the Sui Dynasty(581–618 CE),when it became one of the three medical departments at the imperial medical education institution.As part of the medical reform of the second Sui Emperor,Yang Di,Dao Yin became the treatment of choice,and the employment of a large number of Dao Yin specialists to the Sui court transformed the state medical service.The compilation of Zhu Bing Yuan Hou Lun(Treatise on the Origins and Manifestations of Various Diseases)under Yang Di’s decree,incorporated an abundance of resources on Dao Yin,enabling physicians to potentially“prescribe”Dao Yin to their patients.Situating both Yin Shu and Zhu Bing Yuan Hou Lun in their social and historical contexts,this article analyses their editorial treatments,examines their different objectives,styles,and readerships,and compares the various exercises described in the two texts.It emphasizes the fact that over a period of nearly a thousand years,from the late Warring States(475–221 BCE)to the Sui and Tang periods,Dao Yin was an important medical practice,culminating in its institutionalization by the Sui government.

Exercise sustains the hallmarks of health

Exercise has long been known for its active role in improving physical fitness and sustaining health.Regular moderate-intensity exercise improves all aspects of human health and is widely accepted as a preventative and therapeutic strategy for various diseases.It is well-documented that exercise maintains and restores homeostasis at the organismal,tissue,cellular,and molecular levels to stimulate positive physiological adaptations that consequently protect against various pathological conditions.Here we mainly summarize how moderate-intensity exercise affects the major hallmarks of health,including the integrity of barriers,containment of local perturbations,recycling and turnover,integration of circuitries,rhythmic oscillations,homeostatic resilience,hormetic regulation,as well as repair and regeneration.Furthermore,we summarize the current understanding of the mechanisms responsible for beneficial adaptations in response to exercise.This review aimed at providing a comprehensive summary of the vital biological mechanisms through which moderate-intensity exercise maintains health and opens a window for its application in other health interventions.We hope that continuing investigation in this field will further increase our understanding of the processes involved in the positive role of moderate-intensity exercise and thus get us closer to the identification of new therapeutics that improve quality of life.

Combination of diaphragmatic breathing with therapeutic walking exercise to increase peak expiratory flow rate in asthma patients

Objective:This study aimed to determine the effect of combined diaphragmatic breathing and therapeutic walking exercise on peak expiratory flow in asthma patients.Methods:The research design used a quasi-experiment nonequivalent pretest and posttest design.The research sample contained 38 respondents divided into intervention and control groups,selected by simple random sampling.The control group received standard drug therapy,while the intervention group received standard drug therapy and a combination of diaphragmatic breathing and therapeutic walking exercise for 2 weeks.This exercise was carried out in the morning,6 times a week,with 5 diaphragmatic breathing and exhalations per exercise.After that,a 1-min break was followed by a therapeutic walking exercise of 5–15 min,with an increased duration.Both groups measured the peak expiratory flow before and after the intervention using a peak flow meter.The data analysis used central tendency and t-test.Results:The results showed that the mean peak expiratory flow in the intervention group was 306.84,while in the control group,it was 232.63,with the value of the t-test being-14.17(P<0.0001).Conclusions:Diaphragmatic breathing and therapeutic walking exercise significantly increased the peak expiratory flow in asthma patients.