Plants and animals help keep the soil fertile. Plant roots tunnel through the soil and break it up, and decaying plants form humus. Burrowing animals mix the soil; the excrete of animals contribute nutrients and improve soil structure.
Chinese medicine is a system of medicine partly based on the idea that an energy, called qi (say chee), flows along pathways in the body called meridians. In this belief, if the flow of qi along these meridians is blocked or unbalanced, illness can occur.
What is acupuncture? Acupuncture is a treatment based on Chinese medicine, a system of healing that dates back thousands of years. At the core of Chinese medicine is the notion that a type of life force, or energy, known as qi (pronounced chee) flows through energy pathways (meridians) in the body.