It’s not random. And you’re not to blame.

We’re taught to view disease like bad weather—something that simply appears and spoils the day.

You’re okay one minute. The next, you have a headache. Your digestion could suffer. Or perhaps you’re unexpectedly worn out, anxious, hurting, breathless, whatever. What about the explanation?
“It just happens.”
“Genetics explains it.”
“It’s stress related.”
“Aging is what causes it.”

In Daoist medicine, however, illness doesn’t “just happen.”

It’s development has a cause.
It’s not a penalty or punishment.
It is not a defect.
It’s a clue that something’s been out of balance for a time.

Rooted in the observation of nature, the idea is that once you grasp what’s behind it, you can begin to cooperate with it rather than feeling helpless to confront it.

Daoist medicine divides it into three general categories:

• Exterior causes include things like weather and pathogens
• Interior causes are emotion-based
• Neither interior nor exterior factors are lifestyle, habits, overwork, poor diet, etc.

Let’s examine each of them.

1. When Nature Throws You Off (External Factors)

Humans are part of nature. It’s one of the fundamental concepts of Daoist teaching. But that also implies that we’re impacted by nature—particularly when we’re already fatigued or run down.

Daoist medicine points out six exterior illness causes:

• Cold
• Heat
• Dampness
• Dryness
• Wind
• Summer-heat

All of them are natural forces. But if they penetrate your body—especially when your defenses are low—they can disrupt function.

Some illustrations:

• You’re outside on a windy day, your neck is bare. The next morning you get up with a sore neck and a headache. That’s Wind invasion.
• You live in a damp environment and your joints hurt with every rain. That’s Dampness entering and settling in your channels.
• You spend the better part of a day in the sun, then get nauseous and lightheaded. The cause is excessive Heat.

The fact is, these elements by themselves are generally not an issue. They only become issues if your system is already weak, depleted, or out of sync.

Your body’s protected by Wei Qi, your surface-level defensive energy. Usually, if that’s strong, you’re okay. Should it not be? You’re going to be vulnerable.

2. When Emotions Take Over (Internal Causes)

Let’s discuss one of the topics many of us prefer to avoid.

Emotions—especially the ones that linger, that simmer under the surface.

Daoist medicine identifies seven internal causes connected to emotional states:

• Joy
• Anger
• Worry
• Pensiveness
• Sadness
• Fear
• Shock

None of them are inherently bad. They’re a common, and normal, aspect of the human condition. But when they’re intense, protracted, or suppressed, they can begin to interfere with your internal balance.

Here are a few examples:

• Long-standing anger tightens your chest and twists your stomach. These are manifestation of Liver qi stagnation.
• Grief that never got resolved makes you feel drained and feeble. That’s your Lung qi being depleted.
• Worry that runs in circles in your head? It makes you exhausted, inhibits digestion. These are reflections of your Spleen is being impacted.

What about those like us with childhood trauma?
These feelings remained in our bodies; they didn’t just disappear.
They shaped our nervous systems.
They were stored in our organs.
They trained us to cut ourselves off from our bodies, which simply exacerbated matters.

With time, unrecognized or unprocessed emotion turn into one of the most profound drivers of imbalance and disease.

3. When Life Itself Wears You Down (Neither Internal Nor External)

Not everything falls within the emotional or environmental classifications.

Sometimes, it’s simply life.

Daoist medicine refers to this set of causes as “neither internal nor external,” yet they are just as strong.

What does they consist of?

• Diet not suited to your body type.
• Skipping meals or eating on the go.
• Too much cold/raw food that compromises digestion.
• Working too much, persistent tiredness, and ignoring fatigue.
• Too much drug usage or sexual activities.
• Never relaxing, too much screen time, and erratic sleep.

Basically, modern life.

Though it may not seem like it, over time these habits slowly exhaust your system. You lose your Essence. Your Qi runs low. Your Shen (your spirit) becomes dispersed.

The worst part? These behaviors are typical in contemporary society. We’re often even commended for them. Until they destroy us.

Why This Matters

Knowing the origins of illness is not about self-blame.
It’s about reclaiming your power and autonomy.

If illness has a root, then recovery has a path.
Should imbalance have a cause, balance can be recovered.

Daoist healing provides you with the means to track problems back—to know what’s happening before it turns into a full-blown diagnosis, before it becomes chronic.

It shows you how to pay attention.
How to see.
How to respond.

It provides a calm, realistic hope: You need not be at war with your body.
Beginning again becomes a real possibility.

Next On The Agenda…

We’ll discuss how these factors evolve into particular patterns of disharmony and how those patterns manifest in your symptoms. You can begin altering the narrative if you can identify the pattern.