Caring for Physical and Mental Health, Safeguarding a Beautiful Life

To further care for the physical and mental health of female employees, enhance their sense of happiness, and showcase their healthy and uplifting spirit, with the leadership and strong support of the Party Committee of the Academy of Marxism [1]1 The Academy of Marxism (马研院) is a research institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, focusing on Marxist theory and the study of the Chinese Communist Party’s ideological development., the Academy’s Trade Union and Women’s Work Committee held the fourth “Female Professional Image Enhancement Salon” event on October 26, 2023, at the Academy of Marxism. Shen Yiqun, deputy chief physician from Beijing Dongsi Hospital, was specially invited to give a traditional Chinese medicine lecture titled “Caring for Physical and Mental Health, Safeguarding a Beautiful Life,” providing on-site guidance on TCM prevention and treatment of common occupational diseases among “sedentary workers,” sub-health regulation, and skin health management, and teaching exercises suitable for daily practice by “sedentary workers,” aiming to cultivate and enhance the healthy and beautiful professional image of our female employees. The event was hosted by Pan Xihua, director of the Academy’s Women’s Work Committee, and was attended by committee members and over 20 employees.

为进一步关爱女职工身心健康，提升女职工幸福感，展现女职工健康昂扬的精神风貌，在马研院党委的领导与大力支持下，我院工会、妇工委于2023年10月26日在马研院举办了第四届“女性职业形象提升沙龙”活动。特邀北京东四中医院的沈益群副主任医师到我院做“关爱身心健康、护航美丽人生”的中医讲座，就“久坐族”常见职业病的中医防治、亚健康调理、皮肤健康管理等问题做了现场指导，并教授了适合“久坐族”日常锻炼的动作，以期打造、提升我院女职工健康、美丽的职业女性形象。本次活动由马研院妇工委主任潘西华主持，妇工委委员及20余位职工参加了沙龙活动。

Deputy Chief Physician Shen Yiqun during the lecture

沈益群副主任医师在讲座中

First, Pan Xihua introduced the preparations for this salon by the Academy’s Trade Union and Women’s Work Committee. To better care for the work and life of our female employees, since September 2020, the Academy’s Trade Union and Women’s Work Committee has successively held three “Female Professional Image Enhancement Salon” events, externally and internally assisting our female employees in improving professional image skills such as workplace makeup, clothing coordination, and body management, which have been welcomed and praised by the majority of female employees. Based on the current prevalence of varying degrees of shoulder, neck, and lower back ailments among our female employees as “sedentary workers,” our Trade Union and Women’s Work Committee specially invited Dr. Shen to lecture on TCM knowledge for preventing and treating common diseases among “sedentary workers.” TCM culture, as a treasure of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation, features characteristics such as “treating disease before it arises,” “seeking the root in treating disease,” and “treatment based on syndrome differentiation.” It is hoped that through this event, everyone can gain some understanding of TCM prevention and treatment knowledge for common occupational diseases among “sedentary workers,” practice some simple and easy-to-learn movements to alleviate pain in the shoulders, neck, and lower back, escape the troubles of sub-health, carry out work, study, and life with high quality, and on the basis of health, become more confident and beautiful.

首先，潘西华介绍了马研院工会、妇工委筹备本次沙龙的情况。为了更好地关心本院女职工的工作和生活，自2020年起9月起，马研院工会、妇工委已连续举办了三届“女性职业形象提升沙龙”活动，由外而内助力我院女职工提升职场化妆、服装搭配及形体管理技巧等职业形象，受到了广大女职工的欢迎与好评。基于目前我院女职工作为“久坐族”多发的肩颈、腰部等部位不同程度的病症，我院工会、妇工委特邀沈医生为大家讲授“久坐族”常见疾病防治的中医知识。中医文化作为中华民族优秀传统文化的瑰宝，具有“治未病”“治病求本”“辩证论治”等特点。希望借助本次活动的举办，能够帮助大家了解一些“久坐族”常见职业疾病的中医防治知识，身体力行从一些简单易学的动作练起，缓轻肩颈、腰部等部位疼痛，摆脱亚健康状态的困扰，高质量地开展工作、学习和生活，在健康的基础上，变得更加自信、美丽。

Subsequently, Dr. Shen, drawing on her many years of clinical experience and solid theoretical foundation, introduced TCM prevention and treatment knowledge for common occupational diseases among “sedentary workers” and taught several simple and easy-to-perform movements on-site to assist everyone in regulating their physical and mental health.

随后，沈医生结合自己多年从医经验和扎实的理论功底，介绍了“久坐族”常见职业病的中医防治知识，并现场教授了几个简单易行的动作，助力大家身心健康的调节。

First, she introduced TCM knowledge about sub-health regulation. Shen Yiqun pointed out that the sub-health state is essentially between health and illness, where the body is in a state of imbalance with structural degradation and decline in physiological functions. The main causes of sub-health include high life stress, irregular diet, and insufficient sleep. TCM’s approach to regulating sub-health primarily involves methods based on syndrome differentiation, employing a variety of comprehensive intervention measures including both medicinal and non-medicinal approaches such as acupuncture, tuina [2]2 Tuina is a form of Chinese therapeutic massage involving kneading, pressing, and rolling techniques., cupping, medicinal baths, medicinal diets, medicinal wines, food therapy, qigong [3]3 Qigong is a system of coordinated body posture, movement, breathing, and meditation used for health and spiritual purposes in traditional Chinese culture., daoyin [4]4 Daoyin refers to a set of traditional Chinese physical and breathing exercises, often considered a precursor to qigong., and psychological health preservation, combining internal and external treatments to prevent the occurrence of sub-health and simultaneously prevent its transformation into disease. Daily prevention and regulation of sub-health involve achieving the goal of staying away from sub-health through healthy eating, consistent exercise, stopping staying up late, controlling stress, reducing alcohol consumption and quitting smoking, and strengthening physical exercise.

第一，介绍关于亚健康调治的中医知识。沈益群指出，亚健康状态其实就是介于健康和不健康之间，机体处在结构退化和生理功能减退的失衡状态。亚健康的成因主要是生活压力大，饮食不规律，睡眠不足等。中医对于亚健康的调治方式主要是通过辨证论治的方法，采用包括药物和非药物的针灸、推拿、拔罐、药浴、药膳、药酒、食疗、气功、导引、心理养生等多种综合干预手段，内治外治相结合来预防亚健康的发生，同时预防亚健康向疾病的转化。亚健康的日常预防与调理，即通过健康饮食、坚持运动、停止熬夜、控制压力、减少饮酒和戒烟以及加强身体锻炼等方式达到远离亚健康的目的。

Lecture scene

讲座现场

Second, she explained TCM prevention and treatment of common occupational diseases among sedentary workers. Shen Yiqun pointed out that the harms of prolonged sitting mainly include injury to bones, injury to muscles, injury to the lungs, and the formation of blood stasis. Bone injury primarily leads to cervical spondylosis and lumbar disc herniation. Muscle injury is mainly transformed through injury to the spleen; prolonged sitting injures the spleen, and insufficient spleen qi [5]5 Qi is a fundamental concept in traditional Chinese medicine referring to the vital energy or life force that flows through the body. then injures the muscles. Lung injury, in mild cases, affects cardiopulmonary function, and in severe cases, leads to pulmonary embolism and myocardial ischemia. Prolonged sitting leads to blood stasis, increased blood viscosity, and slow blood flow, which is itself what TCM calls blood stasis. In response to these common issues, Dr. Shen introduced TCM prevention and treatment methods for diseases of prolonged sitting and led everyone in on-site practice to move together, through locating acupoints, massaging the abdomen, and practicing movements like the “Gaohuang opening and closing” movement from the Yijin Jing [6]6 The Yijin Jing (Sinew Transformation Classic) is a traditional Chinese exercise system combining stretching, breathing, and meditation, historically associated with Shaolin martial arts. to exercise the back, relax muscles, and address pelvic cavity issues.

第二，讲解关于久坐族常见职业病的中医防治。沈益群指出，久坐的危害主要是伤骨、伤肉、伤肺以及导致淤血。伤骨主要引发颈椎病、腰间盘突出症。伤肉主要是通过伤脾转化的，久坐伤脾，而脾气不足则伤肌肉。伤肺轻则影响心肺功能，重则导致肺栓塞和心肌缺血。久坐会导致淤血，血液粘稠度增加，血流慢，本身就是中医说的淤血。针对这些常见问题，沈医生为大家介绍了久坐疾病的中医防治办法，并现场教学带领大家一起动起来，通过找穴位、揉腹部，练习易筋经里的膏盲开合动作等锻炼背部、放松肌肉、解决盆腔疾病等问题。

On-site teaching of the Gaohuang opening and closing movement

现场教授膏盲开合的动作

Third, she introduced TCM knowledge about skin health management. Shen Yiqun pointed out that TCM believes skin diseases are caused by both external and internal factors. External factors mainly include wind, cold, dampness, dryness, parasites, and toxins. Internal factors include internal injuries from the seven emotions [7]7 The seven emotions in TCM are joy, anger, anxiety, pensiveness, grief, fear, and fright, which can cause disease when excessive or prolonged., dietary irregularities and overwork, endogenous pathogens such as damp-heat and blood stasis, and constitutional factors, which further lead to disharmony of qi and blood, dysfunction of the zang-fu organs [8]8 Zang-fu organs are the internal organs in traditional Chinese medicine theory, with zang being solid organs (e.g., heart, liver) and fu being hollow organs (e.g., stomach, intestines)., and ultimately generate wind, accumulate dampness, accumulate toxins, transform into heat, transform into dryness, cause deficiency, and cause stasis. Dr. Shen also explained TCM knowledge for preventing and treating skin diseases, namely using oral decoctions and external medicinal treatments, combining internal and external therapies to eliminate the root cause and cure the disease.

第三，介绍关于皮肤健康管理的中医知识。沈益群指出，中医认为，皮肤病是由外因及内因而导致的。外因主要有风、寒、湿、燥、虫、毒。内因包括七情内伤、饮食劳倦、湿热瘀血等内生之邪及禀赋原因，进一步则导致气血失和，脏腑功能失调，最终生风、蕴湿、蕴毒、化热、化燥、致虚、致瘀。沈医生还为大家讲解了皮肤病防治的中医知识，即采用口服汤药和药物外治，内外同治的办法去根祛病。

After the event concluded, the teachers present expressed their recognition of this salon activity. Dr. Shen, using easy-to-understand language and interactive methods such as on-site teaching, helped everyone understand prevention and treatment knowledge for common occupational diseases among “sedentary workers” and master simple, effective, and practical regulating movements. In a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, everyone not only appreciated the profoundness of TCM culture but also felt a long-lost sense of physical relaxation and mental comfort, and they expressed great gratitude to the Academy’s Trade Union and Women’s Work Committee for organizing such a thoughtful activity.

活动结束后，现场老师们纷纷表示对本次沙龙活动的认可。沈医生以通俗易懂的语言和现场教学等互动方式，帮助大家了解“久坐族”常见职业疾病的防治知识，掌握简单易行且行之有效的调理动作。在轻松愉悦的氛围中，大家不仅领略了中医文化的博大精深，也感受到了久违的身体松弛与身心畅快，非常感谢院工会、妇工委举办这么贴心的活动。

(Contributed by Song Xiaomin)

（宋笑敏 供稿）