One of the great strengths of Chinese medicine is that it is inherently preventative in nature. In ancient China it was generally thought that a wise doctor was one who worked with his/her patients to help them stay healthy and avoid illness. The less accomplished practitioner was one who allowed his patients' disease process to take root and deepen and thus have to spend his efforts tending to the sick.
I love reading the ancient Chinese texts. The Su Wen, which dates to approximately the late 1st century BCE, has this wonderful passage:
...for healing " the sages did not treat those who were already ill; they instructed those who were not yet ill. They did not rule those who were already rebellious; they guided those who were not yet rebellious."
"Treating an illness after it has begun is like suppressing revolt after it has broken out. If someone digs a well when thirsty, or forges weapons after becoming engaged in battle, once cannot help but ask: Are not these actions too late?"
It also should be noted that even though great emphasis is placed on preventive care and appropriate lifestyle, the text itself is dedicated primarily to the art of healing diseases. The ancients had obviously figured out that good advice is not always followed.
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