In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and other methods were used to keep the body healthy by keeping the energy fields that support it healthy.  In some provinces of ancient China, you paid the physician a nominal fee when you were well.  If you got sick, the physician would work hard to try to cure your illness, but you did not have to pay because the physician had failed to keep your energy field healthy enough to prevent the illness.

Taken from Energy Medicine for Women by Donna Eden