Health preserving is a concept in traditional Chinese medicine to enhance physical fitness, prevent diseases, postpone aging and prolong life by spiritual toning, therapeutic diets and medicated diets, health exercises and other methods. This concept takes the natural point of view in ancient China as its theoretical basis, such as Five Elements Theory, Yin-yang Theory, Pneumatism and Connecting with Macrocosm.

The ancients believe that all things in the world are generated from the five substances: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. This Five Element Theory also can be applied to explain the uniformity of mutual connection between the human viscera and tissues as well as between human body and the external environment.

The ancients also believed that all things in the world can be divided by Yin and Yang. If applied to medicine, this Yin-yang Theory will define such substances and functions that drive, warm and excite the human body as belonging to the Yang, while such substances and functions that condense, moisturize and inhibit in the human body as being properties of the Yin. Yin and Yang rise and fall by restricting each other to achieve dynamic balance. If this balance is damaged, disease is the result.

The ancients further hold that the Qi is the source of changes of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements; they believe that man and nature communicate and correspond to each other. The Theory of Pneuma and Man-Heaven Correspondence has been also applied to the understanding of human life activities, as well as the explanation for the mutual restraint and effect of man and nature interacting.

The concept of health preservation is the product of such naturalistic views. It is in light of this concept that people established the rich and effective methods of health preservation, such as spiritual toning, guiding and breathing, health care in four seasons, food and medicine diets for health preserving, thus forming a miracle of the traditional Chinese medicine-Health Preservation Theory.