When asked to describe a beautiful person, almost anyone will give you an answer that includes signs of balanced health according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): bright, clear eyes; glowing skin; healthy, shiny hair; smooth, unridged nails; and moist lips.

Throughout the ages, and certainly by the time of Cicero, the eyes have been described as the window to the soul. A person with bright, clear eyes may indeed be displaying a beautiful soul, but in TCM, he or she is also showing a clean Liver. When the Liver is engorged or obstructed—this can happen easily when large quantities of alcohol, red meat and coffee are consumed, for example—the eyes will be cloudy.

Aside from moderation in all things, it helps to cleanse the Liver with sour foods and liquids, which is why I drink a glass of lemon water every morning. The Liver is the body’s largest Organ for detoxification, and it is very important to keep it working well and freely.

In TCM beautiful, healthy skin is often compared to jade. Although this may sound strange to Western ears, it makes sense to Chinese people because of the stone’s place in history. For centuries, people who lived in China’s wealthy households and imperial courts used jade in many ways: they ate it, they wore it, they sucked on it and they had it placed in their burial chambers. Jade has long been used in TCM to calm the soul, maintain healthy blood circulation and “moisten” the Heart and Lung to protect and lubricate body tissues. The ancient Chinese used it to prevent and cure disease and to slow the aging process.

Jade is seen, metaphorically, as a box for the storage of Qi, keeping Yin and Yang in balance. Today we know that the stone contains a number of mineral elements (zinc, iron, copper, manganese, cobalt, selenium, chromium, titanium, lithium, calcium and sodium), and it is possible that wearing the stone on the skin supplements the body’s dietary requirements for these minerals. TCM also holds that jade can facilitate a discharge of excess elements from the body.

No wonder, then, that beautiful, healthy skin is so often compared to jade: translucent and protective, acting as the body’s living, breathing membrane between the inner Organs and the outside world, the skin is beautifully designed to guard against external Toxins. But even small forms of trauma—anything that itches and provokes persistent scratching, for example, such as eczema and fungal conditions or flea and lice bites—can damage or remove the first layer of skin and allow Toxins to invade. External Causes can weaken the Qi and create internal Heat Toxins that obstruct the channels and network vessels.

The skin also displays internal imbalances of the Five Organs, especially of the Lung and the Large Intestine. Diabetic patients are particularly vulnerable to skin conditions because blood flow to their skin is poor.

The movement of Qi manifests clearly in the skin, especially when there is a blockage in one of the Meridians. Itchy, red or broken skin broadcasts a clear message to the TCM practitioner. I can often tell just by looking at a patient that he or she is experiencing Stomach, Kidney, Liver or Spleen problems.

You should not be afraid when your skin has a problem: your skin is speaking to you, encouraging you to take care of your needs by seeking treatment to release the Toxins that are causing the imbalance in your body. Skin problems are the language through which your body tells you that you have a blockage of Qi that needs to be fixed.

We do not always think of the hair as a part of the skin, but it is. Beautiful, healthy Chinese hair is like ebony silk, and this is how we think of it poetically. Such hair clearly demonstrates inner health and beauty, its richness and shine showing strong Kidney Qi, a wealth of Blood and adequate, balanced moisture in the body.

Weak, dull hair, or hair that is falling out, immediately alerts a TCM practitioner of a Kidney imbalance that needs to be addressed. All patients are sensitive to these signs, whether they are men or women, young or old—everyone sees hair as part of their external beauty and many are self-conscious about the state of their hair. Patients who are experiencing hair problems are often anxious to consult and obtain help to address them.

When a person is healthy, calm and self-confident, her Qi radiates and she is beautiful.

In TCM, maintaining harmony is the primary way of achieving well-being. Our physical, emotional and spiritual selves— the three levels of energy described as the Three Treasures, Jing, Qi and Shen—must be in balance. A strong, healthy body helps us to stabilize our emotional lives and deepen our spiritual selves. These aspects of health are intimately interconnected, and we must be proactive in maintaining them. Diet, lifestyle, wisdom in our actions toward ourselves and others are all essential elements in preventing disease and promoting health. No medical professional can overcome the effects of consistent bad decisions on our part.

Excerpted from Inner Beauty by Xiaolan Zhao. Copyright © 2012 by Xiaolan Zhao. Excerpted by permission of Vintage Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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