Reid covers a vast amount of information in a comfortable and approachable style. He highlights the theoretical foundations of Taoist thought through a description of the one source (Tao), the two poles (yin and yang), the three powers (heaven, earth, and man), the four foundations (blood, energy, nourishment, and resistance), the five energies (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), the six evils (wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire), the seven emotions (anger, joy, grief, fear, fright, exhaustion, and worry), and the eight indicators (yin and yang, internal and external, cold and hot, empty and full). Further topics include how to nurture and guard your essence, how to understand human and artificial energy, how to control your energy with qi gong, the advantages of meditation, and an extensive discussion of how to achieve health and longevity following the Tao. A final section reviews tonic herbs and formulas, therapeutic food recipes, and popular Chinese herbal remedies.