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How did the Huangdi neijing emphasize prevention over treating illness after it appeared?

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Moxibustion — traditional Chinese medicine In moxibustion, or moxa treatment, small cones of an herb (typically *Artemisia moxa*) are burned on top of needles placed in designated points of the body, generally the same points as those used in acupuncture.

The Huangdi neijing emphasizes preventive medicine by prioritizing the maintenance of health over the treatment of established illness. In this system, physicians were evaluated by their ability to keep healthy individuals well; those who only intervened after a disease had fully manifested were considered inferior practitioners.1

The text illustrates this philosophy through critical analogies, comparing the act of treating developed diseases to digging a well only after becoming thirsty or casting weapons only after a battle has already begun. Such actions are viewed as inherently too late to be effective.1

This preventive approach is deeply rooted in the concept of balance. Health is maintained when the principles of yin and yang are evenly distributed throughout the body. Deviations from the Dao, or proper way of living, were believed to result in illness, making the cultivation of healthy habits essential to avoiding the penalties of disease.1