What is Chinese Medicine?
Chinese Medicine is a complete and comprehensive medical system that is extremely effective in treating many types and stages of dis-ease. Yet, it is important to note that disease and its processes are defined and viewed much differently by TCM [Traditional Chinese Medicine], which at first might take a little while getting used to. Often times, as you explore this unique healing method, you will find it easy to understand and quite a refreshing alternative to our current bio-medical system. You will come to understand that TCM is very useful for regaining and maintaining robust health!
How Does TCM Define Disease?
Disease is defined in TCM as an imbalance in reference to the optimum, balanced state of health that you may obtain. This balanced state is based on keeping your internal organs clean and free of toxins and strong on a physical and energetic level. In a balanced state, your internal organs are perfectly able to fulfill each of their unique responsibilities. This balanced state will help to maintain a harmonious state of emotional, physical and mental health. When your body is balanced, disease is not able to penetrate your body and complete its negative processes giving new meaning to the concept of preventative medicine.
What is an imbalance in TCM?
An imbalance in TCM is associated with an internal organ not performing its many necessary functions. Imbalances can occur from many different sources such as: extreme emotional stress, external injury, constitutional weakness inherited from your parents or a poor lifestyle thereby causing a domino effect creating and incubating the disease.
Each of your internal organ systems, such as the Spleen, Liver or Kidneys, has a specific tendency towards imbalance. The Liver, when in an imbalanced state, can create an excess of heat, which then permeates every aspect of your being, including your emotions, physical body and mental capacity. Have you ever met a "hot-headed" person with a red nose, and maybe a red face? Often times these signs can be associated with the ingestion of alcohol. In Chinese Medicine this particular pattern could be understood as what is termed "Liver Fire". In other words the alcohol is helping to create excess heat in the Liver which is manifesting in the person’s nose, face and temperament.
How is Your Body Viewed in TCM?
Your body is viewed in a holistic, continuously connected manner. To further explain your emotional state, physical symptoms and mental capability are not seen as separate occurrences. In fact, to get an accurate diagnosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine it is extremely important to take into account all of the signs and symptoms of imbalance pertaining to all aspects of your life. Nothing is irrelevant in TCM. Keeping in tune with the holistic approach your history is extremely important. More often than not, when you visit a TCM practitioner you may find that the root imbalances may stem from an occurrence in your past. This is especially true if it is on an emotional-type event. Connecting your emotions and your internal organ health is one of the most brilliant aspects of TCM.
Traditional Chinese Medicine models your body after natural rhythms and occurrences in nature. These elements are seen as the working forces within your body, providing nourishment for your cells, tissues and organs and seeing to it that waste products are correctly disposed of. There are five elements identified in TCM: Wood, Earth, Metal, Water and Fire. Air is not included, but is viewed as the vital life force that animates your body and is connected to the Lung Organ System. The practice of Qi Gong focuses on the uninhibited integration and absorption of Qi/air vital life-force. The universal principle of Yin and Yang, atmospheric concepts of Wind, Wetness, Dryness, Heat, Cold and the Five Element Theory are all diagnostic factors principally used as fundamental templates when evaluating and balancing your body and emotions.
What is Qi?
The direct translation of Qi (Chee) is "Life Force". It could be said that Qi is the force of life, bring with it liveliness, energy, strength and will power. The stronger your Qi, the denser and more abundant your life force is projected. Qi can also be understood by recognizing when there is a lack of Qi within a person. Have you ever met a person who perhaps can be described as sickly, with a pale complexion, lusterless face and a dull spirit, or perhaps you have felt this way yourself? This person can be described as having low Qi, or a Qi Deficiency.
The objective of Chinese Medicine is to harmonize, regulate, promote or unblock your Qi. Within the different treatment methods of Chinese Medicine such as herbal formulas, acupuncture and internal Qi Gong or Tai Chi Chuan training your deep constitutional deficiencies and tendencies can be worked on, bettering your life in ways that you may have never felt before.
What are the Five Elements?
The Five Element model is a natural method used to understand your body’s processes following a continuum of holistic concepts that TCM has been built upon.
The Five Elements in TCM are Fire, Water, Metal, Earth and Wood. With each of these elements there is an associated Yin organ, Yang organ, orifice, season, sound, smell, taste, tissue, emotion, and much more! Within the Five Element model we are able to make associations that are not possible with other models, as it is an extension of patterns used to identify the different disease processes in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
By categorizing the internal Organ System into five separate units Traditional Chinese Medicine can view each of the organs, first as a separate entity, and then by its specific relationship with the other Organ Systems. An example would be that the element of Water [the Kidney Organ System] promotes the birth of Wood [the Liver Organ System]. What effects the mother can have a direct effect on her son. This is an example of the promotional phase of the Five Element Theory. Following the complex, multiphasic connections of all Five Organ Systems can lead a Chinese Medicine practitioner to the deciphering and internal balancing required to bring about health and longevity.
What is Yin and Yang?
Yin and Yang is often described as opposites, such as "hot and cold", "bad and good", "empty and full" or even "summer and winter". Yet, this is not correct! Yin and Yang was never meant to assign judgment or describe a battle between two forces. For instance, can summer or winter be inherently described as good and evil? Of course not. Each season has a specific purpose and value guiding the earthly processes. Within all aspects of life opposite natures must exist in harmony. A better interpretation would be that Yin and Yang complements each other as a process of change, growth and balance.
Yin and Yang is used by TCM to understand each of your unique individual tendencies and patterns. Perhaps your body naturally runs hot. This aspect is very important to understand so that you may know to stay away from alcohol, spicy foods and hot weather. If your ‘heat/yang’ is in excess adding more heat would assist in continuing to throw off your body's Yin/Yang balance leading to the development of disease.
Yin is traditionally described as: Cool, Cold, Winter, Fall, Descending Movement, Stillness, Inward, Stationary, Night, Woman, Black, Nourishing, Fullness, the Earth, Substance, Blood, Fluids, Water and so much more.
Yang is traditionally described as: Warm, Hot, Fire, Summer, Spring, Upward Movement, Action, Outward Movement, Male, Empty, the Heavens, Air and so much more.
How are the Six Atmospheric States applied in TCM?
The Six Atmospheric States are the effects of the unseen on the visible. In other words, the Six Atmospheric States are the different states that may enter into the Five Elements [five organ systems] in which they can either constitute a state of health or disease. The Six Atmospheric States are traditionally described as: Dryness, Wetness, Heat/Fire, Summer Heat, Cold and Wind. Each of the Five Organ Systems has an atmospheric state in which it prefers to normally function. For instance, the Spleen organ System likes to be warm and dry. When it becomes cold and wet the element of earth dysfunctions within your body. The Earth element is related to the Spleen, a very important organ in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Many of you are diagnosed in TCM to have a cold, wet Spleen Organ System or Spleen Qi Deficiency, which may manifest as poor digestion and low energy. On the converse, the Kidney Organ System likes to be wet and cool, thereby nourishing the rest of the body while encompassing the Fire element creating the vital, life-force essence of Jing. The Six Atmospheric States in Heaven, incorrectly combined with the Five Element Organs on Earth, can create the disharmonies that lead to a diseased state.
