The Theory of Yin-Yang

The philosophical origins of Chinese medicine have grown out of the tenets of Daoism (also known as Taoism). Daoism bases much of its thinking on observing the natural world and manner in which it operates, so it is no surprise to find that the Chinese medical system draws extensively on natural metaphors. In Chinese medicine, the metaphoric views of the human body based on observations of nature are fully articulated in the theory of Yin-Yang and the system of Five Elements.
The direct meanings of yin and yang in Chinese are bright and dark sides of an object. Chinese philosophy uses yin and yang to represent a wider range of opposite properties in the universe: cold and hot, slow and fast, still and moving, masculine and feminine, lower and upper, etc. In general, anything that is moving, ascending, bright, progressing, hyperactive, including functional disease of the body, pertains to yang. The characteristics of stillness, descending, darkness, degeneration, hypo-activity, including organic disease, pertain to yin.
The function of yin and yang is guided by the law of unity of the opposites. In other words, yin and yang are in conflict but at the same time mutually dependent. The nature of yin and yang is relative, with neither being able to exist in isolation. Without "cold" there would be no "hot"; without "moving" there would be no "still"; without "dark", there would be no "light". The most illustrative example of yin-yang interdependence is the interrelationship between substance and function. Only with ample substance can the human body function in a healthy way; and only when the functional processes are in good condition, can the essential substances be appropriately refreshed.
The opposites in all objects and phenomena are in constant motion and change: The gain, growth and advance of the one mean the loss, decline and retreat of the other. For example, day is yang and night is yin, but morning is understood as being yang within yang, afternoon is yin within yang, evening before midnight is yin within yin and the time after midnight is yang within yin. The seed (Yin) grows into the plan (Yang), which itself dies back to the earth (Yin). This takes place within the changes of the seasons. Winter (Yin) transforms through the Spring into Summer (Yang), which in turn transforms through Autumn into Winter again. Because natural phenomena are balanced in the constant flux of alternating yin and yang, the change and transformation of yin-yang has been taken as a universal law.
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that human life is a physiological process in constant motion and change. Under normal conditions, the waxing and waning of yin and yang are kept within certain bounds, reflecting a dynamic equilibrium of the physiological processes. When the balance is broken, disease occurs. Typical cases of disease-related imbalance include excess of yin, excess of yang, deficiency of yin, and deficiency of yang.

How does it work?

TCM is based on a very strong theoretical foundation. The Chinese medical theory is all based on the concept of ‘Qi’. Qi can be generally translated as referring to Energy. For example, we receive Qi from the air we breath and Qi from the food we eat. Correspondingly, all organs and processes in the body need Qi in order to perform their functions in our bodies correctly. It is said that there are energetic pathways or networks in the body, which correspond to various organs in the body such as the Liver and Spleen, etc. Each organ network, or meridian as they are called, has corresponding tissues, emotions, and even seasons associated with it and therefore corresponding patterns of disharmony. These patterns of disharmony are what cause pain or a certain disease.

What is Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine?

Acupuncture, Acupressure, Chinese Herbology and Food Therapy is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a complete medical system that has diagnosed, treated and prevented illness for centuries. TCM utilizes Acupuncture and Herbs to treat all ailments, especially those for which Western Medicine has little to offer or those with which Western Medicine causes undesirable side effects. Unlike surgery and medications, Acupuncture and Herbology have virtually no side effects, yet it yields excellent results for a wide variety of conditions. TCM also uses Auriculotherapy (Ear Acupuncture) as an aid in treating many conditions, as well as being an adjunct therapy to curtail smoking, treat eating disorders, and drug and alcohol addiction. Chinese Medicinal Cooking or Food Therapy is tasty and nutritional, and can be geared both towards your health and your tastes. Therapeutic use of diet and nutrition, tailored to the individual, is a powerful tool to supplement any healing process.