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try shows that “Chronic “lifestyle” conditionssuch as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetesare taking over from infectious diseases as theprimary cause of death and disability in mostcountries. These chronic non-communicable diseasesare significant in that they are substantiallypreventable through better self-care – by individualsavoiding risk factors such as smoking andobesity.” This clearly illustrates the relation betweenillness and lifestyles led by many peoplenowadays.According to the American Heart Associationstatistics, in 2012 in the US: “among children ages2-19, about 1 in 3 are overweight and obese.” Aswell as in the US, obesity is one of the developedworld’s problems that are in many cases directlycaused by poor lifestyle habits. Besides physicalissues, mood disorders and depression can alsobe caused by the pressure of the stressful environmentwe live in today. “Approximately 18.8million American adults, or about 9.5 percent ofthe U.S. population age 18 and older in a givenyear, have a depressive disorder.” In order toavoid these health issues, the importance of selfcarehas to be strongly highlighted. Proper, balanceddiet and exercise is important to each individualand it is also each individual’s personal responsibility.“Self-care is what people do for themselves toestablish and maintain health, prevent and dealwith illness. It is a broad concept covering hygiene,nutrition, life-style, physical activity, avoiding risks(e.g.smoking, obesity) and responsible self-medicationwith nonprescription medicines (OTCs).”The concept of personal responsibility to livehealthily is widely recognized today and has generateda demand in the global market. The industryof self-care products has become incrediblywealthy. The products in demand include but arenot limited to “…over-the-counter medicines andcomplementary medicines, such as vitamins andminerals, herbals, homoeopathic and aromatherapyproducts.” Market research shows that “Theglobal market for over-the-counter (OTC) drugsis expected to surpass $70 billion by 2015.”The increasing understanding of the importanceof self-care clearly demonstrates that peoplearound the world are eager to have moreknowledge and control over their health. DaoistYangsheng has a great potential to provide theknowledge necessary without unnecessary costs.Yangsheng is a body-mind philosophy in ChineseTraditional Medicine which has helped generationsof people to find balance and harmony intheir lives. The health issues addressed are ofparticular relevance nowadays when the impactof incorrect eating and sedentary lifestyle hasstarted to show. As Mike Adams once said,“Today, more than 95% of all chronic disease iscaused by food choice, toxic food ingredients, nutritionaldeficiencies and lack of physical exercise.”It is significant that Yangsheng practice focuseson preserving life and health before the illness,therefore it has much to contribute to the26 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 3