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States, by Dr. Cecilia Rosenfeld in 1976.“After practicing the Internal Exercise and experiencingan immediate improvement in health,Dr. Rosenfeld decided to prescribe these exercisesto her patients. Internal Exercises weretaught to her patients and within one week, about80% of the patients showed positive results.Then eight nurses were hired, taught about theInternal Exercises, and trained in the instructionand supervision of patients. Afterward, severalpatients were assigned to each nurse after thepatients were examined and given a prescriptionof specific Internal Exercises. Most patients reportedthat they experienced immediate improvementsin health, without feeling pain or discomfort,and the nurses themselves reported thatthey had boundless energy even after a day ofperforming and demonstrating the exercises.”Since the pace of life in today’s world has greatlyincreased compared to fifty years ago, anothermajor problem today’s generations face is stress.Researchers have proven that stressful lifestylescause many health issues: “…evidence shows thatchronic stress can result in muscle tension andfatigue for some people. For others, it can contributeto stress hypertension, migraine headaches,ulcers, or chronic diarrhea.” Whilst thereare many self-help books available on stress managementin daily life, they tend to focus on dealingwith stressful events and experiences ratherthan taking a better look at one’s lifestyle andwell-being requirements. It is hard to find harmonywhen emotions are out of balance; thereforebalancing them is of the utmost importancein Yangsheng philosophy. “Acting in accordancewith Yin Yang theory, fear restricts joy, anger restrictsanxiety, joy checks grief, grief blocks anger,and anxiety prevents fear. In this way it ispossible to allow the emotions to check and balancethemselves in a very natural manner.” Interestingly,these Daoist ideas have alreadyreached the Western world in the field of psychology.“The principles of Taoism are an integralelement of many Western counseling theories.Principles such as authenticity, or being true tooneself, and the need for balance in the universe,the yin and yang, are two examples that can befound in many theoretical practices. Methodsbased upon the teachings of Tao have been effectivelyinterwoven into Western therapy.”The concept of Daoist well-being lifestyle describeseach person’s daily routine and includesthe activities conducted throughout the day suchas walking, sleeping, eating and having sex. “ATaoist lives each day fully and actively. Thismeans life is rich and full of experience. This isimportant to provide an edge to keep one healthy,flexible and strong.” Yangsheng practices alsohighlight the importance of sex. A satisfying sexlife can be an essential part of personal wellbeing.Dr. Felice Dunas believes that: “Not onlydoes a healthy body lead to better sex, but bettersex produces healthier bodies and souls.” In theend, Daoist beliefs are that life should be enjoyedand every new day should be welcomed with excitement.As previously mentioned, the modern selfcareconcept includes all of the things individualscan do for themselves in order to increase thewell-being and quality of their lives. Nowadayspeople are aware they need to take care of themselves,eat proper diet and exercise; however it isnot easy for everyone. Christine Meinecke in herarticle ‘Self-care in a toxic world’ points out that“Medical and mental health professionals pio-June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 29