Acupuncture Orlando and the Five Elements
Chi, yin/yang, the five elements and meridians are concepts alien to Western medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine or TCM believes that chi, which is the life giving energy in the body needs to be balanced and flow unimpeded to achieve and maintain good health. TCM also states that the five elements are major factors in the understanding and use of acupuncture Orlando. These five elements according to TCM, comprise the components of the universe. They are wind, metal, fire, water and earth. These elements are very important for the traditional acupuncturist in understanding the health of a person and in diagnosing disorders.
The universe according the ancient Chinese basically is dualistic in nature, which they represent in the opposing yet complementary forces of yin and yang. The ancients view yin and yang in the manner they view positive and negative or winter and summer or rain and fire. The yin is always associated with the positive force and yang with the negative.
Yin is about regeneration, giving and nurturing of life, the season of spring, light, beauty, the female principle. In a word, yin is beauty. The yang is the destroyer representing gloom and doom, the male principle. It has winter, the end of summer, precipitating actions, sluggishness, fire, burning, consumption. Each element of the five elements concept associate with either yin or yang. Major organs are oriented to either yin or yang. Typically, organs that have cavities or openings are considered yang organs. These are the stomach, the gall bladder, the small and large intestines, the bladder and the triple burner, which is a unique concept of TCM. The yin organs comprise the liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidney organs.
According to TCM, the stomach (yang) and spleen (yin) is associated to the element of dampness (yang attribute). The bladder (yang) and kidneys (yin) associate to coldness. The small intestine and the heart associate with fire (yang) while the lungs (yin) and large intestine (yang). Lastly, the gall bladder (yang) and the liver (yin) are linked to wind
With these classifications of the five elements and the organs, a disorder can be easily diagnosed and treated using the correct acupuncture approach. Traditional acupuncturists are trained to understand these concepts and with a little diligence and patience, anyone can be trained to understand these TCM concepts and identify the correct meridians to treat a specific condition. Ailments tend to heal faster with the proper knowledge of these TCM concepts because this knowledge would enable the proper execution of the right modalities for an ailment. If these concepts still seem alien to some, one need not worry regarding acupuncture treatment so long as a professional acupuncturist performs it. These concepts are all metaphysical constructs understood in the context of Eastern naturalism and Taoism.