While the concept of qi in Donguibogam might sound abstract at first, looking at it through the lens of modern medicine reveals that it connects surprisingly well with the vivid physiological processes of our body. The state we commonly describe as having no energy or feeling lethargic can actually be seen as similar to a condition where adenosine triphosphate production—the source of bioenergy—does not run smoothly due to hypofunction of mitochondria, the factories that generate energy in every single cell of our body. When cellular energy becomes deficient, the efficiency of each bodily organ naturally drops.
In particular, the lung plays the essential role of taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide every single moment we breathe. A lack of qi can be interpreted to mean that the overall efficiency of cardiopulmonary function, including the lung, has declined. When oxygen exchange capacity weakens, sufficient oxygen cannot be supplied to the blood, which places more burden on the heart and interferes with blood circulation. The symptoms of shortness of breath and chest tightness after moving just a little may ultimately be signals that appear when the lung's ventilatory function drops, making it hard to secure enough oxygen, or when the heart cannot efficiently deliver as much blood as needed.
Furthermore, these symptoms are deeply connected to our body's autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system manages vital activities that are regulated automatically without conscious effort, such as heartbeat, breathing, and digestion. When autonomic nervous system balance is disrupted by stress, overwork, or sleep deprivation, the sympathetic nerve becomes excessively hyperactive while parasympathetic nerve activity decreases. Sympathetic hyperactivity raises the heart rate, makes breathing shallow and fast, and can induce chest tightness or anxiety. Even if nothing seems particularly wrong on the outside, an emergency alarm is constantly ringing inside the body. One may fall into a vicious cycle where the flexibility and elasticity of the lung drop, respiratory muscles tire easily, and chronic inflammatory response along with oxidative stress further deplete energy. This should be understood not merely as a matter of being short of breath, but as a subtle signal that the entire body's balance is breaking down. Thus, the deficiency of qi in Donguibogam can be explained in modern medicine as a complex state of bioenergy depletion, including cardiopulmonary hypofunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, and autonomic nervous system imbalance. Therefore, please do not dismiss these small signals carelessly, and start paying attention to your body's qi from today.
