It is well known that the human body maintains multiple balances that require coordination. While research on individual balances is relatively comprehensive, systematic research on the coordination among various balances is lacking. The authors term this coordination “equilibrium” and argue that maintaining this equilibrium is crucial for human health. Therefore, the authors establish an equilibrium theory and use the adaptive supply–demand relationship (ASDR) model to quantify this equilibrium, thus providing clear definitions and measurements for health and disease, potentially revolutionizing future medicine.

This article is excerpted from Chapter 6 and Appendix IIII of my Chinese book A Delicate Equilibrium: A Systematology Interpretation of Traditional Medicine, revised and significantly abridged. The article was edited for proper English language, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and overall style by one or more of the highly qualified English speaking editors at AJE. This certificate was issued on March 9, 2026 and may be verifed on the AJE website using the verification code F6A1-3EF3-0A24-86EF-A7CP.